It's Times Like These
by DarkElements10
Summary: -Sequel to It's The Rush That You Get-. -Second in the It's On Series-. So you saw the reality of life and made it better. Things were supposed to get easier. That was the deal. Things change though. People change. Its times like these you figure out who your real friends are. (Re-Write of With Friends Like These Series). Rating may go up.
1. Plans

**It's Times Like These**

**By: Riley**

**Summary - **-Sequel to It's The Rush That You Get-. So you saw the reality of life and made it better. Things were supposed to get easier. That was the deal. Things change though. People change. Its times like these you figure out who your real friends are. (Re-Write of With Friends Like These Series.)

**Pairs:** Many Pairings

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**.:Chapter 01:.**

"The thing I love most about going on vacation is that I get to leave behind any kind of schedule. My entire life is scheduled from morning to night, and when I'm on vacation, there is no schedule." ~Kelly Clarkson

* * *

"Do you _really _think that Gustavo is going to let us shoot the _Windows Down _video ourselves?"

Logan Mitchell waited as Mrs. Knight poured milk over his cereal, looking over at Kendall Knight to see his reaction. His upper lip curled slightly when he saw that Kendall had his famous 'trust me' smile on his face. That wasn't going to end well in the slightest. None of Kendall's ideas ever ended well, they always got into some sort of trouble and made things worse, but he had to admit the fact that he was always on his toes to help his friends was something that he really liked.

"No, I don't actually," Kendall admitted. Beside him, his little sister, Katie, rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath about them being idiots, much like she usually did. "But, I mean, we're getting older now and Gustavo should see that we can be responsible."

Katie tilted her head back and howled with laughter. Kendall and Logan looked at each other with disdain before looking at Katie, who seemed like she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Katie could be their biggest fan and she could be their worst enemy at the same time. Especially when she was being realistic, she was one of the people that could bring the guys crashing back down to earth with a few quick words and condescending laughter.

"Ha, you guys, responsible? That's funny!" Katie wiped at her eyes before standing up, taking her own cereal bowl with her. "Thanks for the laugh that really made my day." She went over to the sink and put her bowl inside. "I'm going to the pool!" She looked over at the boys again, laughing loudly, before walking out of the apartment.

"Good to know that Katie agrees with me," Logan said, turning back to Kendall.

"Oh come on, have some faith, I'm sure that we can do this, we deserve the vacation." Kendall turned in his seat to address his mother, who was now sitting at the head of the table, reading the newspaper. "What do you think, Mom? Do you think Gustavo will let us shoot our own music video?"

Mrs. Knight lowered her newspaper. _Well, they have worked awfully hard. But…I don't know if being responsible is something that they've quite grasped yet. _Mrs. Knight immediately thought about all of the times that she had listened to their stories about what happened around the studio and the PalmWoods. There were many times that she wanted to rip her hair out and scream curses at the top of her lungs because of their antics, but she knew that the boys wouldn't be the boys if they didn't find a way to make things more interesting.

"Mom?" Kendall pressed.

"I think that you boys have proven time and time again that you're going to do anything to make this band work," Mrs. Knight said slowly. "But…well, you have to admit that you guys may make it a bit hard for anyone to believe that you can be responsible." Logan loudly cleared his throat. "Besides Logan of course," she added, causing Logan to smile.

"That's exactly what I mean," Logan said. Kendall pouted. Logan always _had_ to be the voice of reason for things like this didn't he? "Our track record hasn't been that great around Rocque Records and the PalmWoods in general. So why should Gustavo agree to let us go wherever we want to film a music video?"

"Because he gets a break from us," Kendall said. "C'mon, Logie, you're just being a pessimist again." He stood up, leaving his cereal at the table. "Let's go find James and Carlos and see what they have to say?" Kendall walked out of the apartment.

Logan groaned loudly. "What's the point when I know they're just going to side with you?"

Kendall stuck his head back into the doorway and winked at Logan as he made the shape of a gun with his fingers. "_That's _the point." He disappeared from view again.

Logan looked over at Mrs. Knight, who looked like she was trying not to burst out laughing, and reluctantly got up from his seat. He walked out of the apartment and let out a cry of surprise when Kendall grabbed onto his arm and forcefully pulled him down the hallway. "What are you-"

"Just making sure that you don't become a chicken and back out of this," Kendall explained. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and started to drag him down it. "If this is going to work we're all going to have to band together."

_And in Kendall speak that means that he'd kill one of us if we didn't go along with it_. But Logan couldn't help but smile a little bit. The idea of going wherever they wanted to film a music video was tempting, especially if it could double as a vacation. They hadn't had a vacation since they got out to LA (not including how they were able to go back to Minnesota for Christmas). Gustavo worked them hard and they did their best o keep up. With two albums under their belt and at that point no plans for a third one, they really did deserve to do something fun. _Maybe this won't be a bad thing._

Kendall dragged Logan into the PalmWoods lobby just as James Diamond and Carlos Garcia were coming out of the PalmWoods pool. "All I'm saying is that because I'm with Stephanie, I don't understand why the Jennifers are flirting with me now," Carlos was saying as Kendall and Logan approached him.

"I told you before dude…" James grinned and slapped Carlos on the shoulder. "They want you! And they want you _because_ you're with Stephanie. Girls want what they can't have." He then gave a charming smile, lightly pulling at the front of his own shirt. "Why do you think girls like _me_ so much?"

"Guys!" Kendall said loudly, getting their attention. "We need your help." He waited until he was sure that he had James's and Carlos's undivided attention. "_We_-"he gave a sharp look to Logan, who rolled his eyes. He was doing a lot of that today. "Are going to convince Gustavo that we can shoot our _Windows Down _music video ourselves. We get to pick out everything, the location, the clothes, the budget…" he faltered a bit, suddenly realizing how much work it might take. "But we can do it, right? We deserve to be able to take a vacation and make a video; we were planning on taking a vacation anyway so why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Damn straight," James agreed. "More of the world needs to be able to see my face up close and personal." He grinned and clasped his hand into Kendall's in a low-five. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Carlos agreed. He had the biggest smile of all of them on his face. "I know where we can go too! Let's go to Hawaii!"

_Hawaii? _Logan thought about it for a long moment. He had to admit, it was a good idea. Who didn't want to go to an island for a vacation? The surf, the sand, the girls…even he couldn't stop himself from thinking of the girls in bikinis that would lounge around on the beach. He wasn't with Camille right now; she could enjoy himself while he was on vacation. Plus there was a lot of interesting history of the islands, starting from the formation of the islands, to Pearl Harbor, to the scientific studies that could be done there. Something that he probably wouldn't get another chance to do.

"Ok, I'm in," he finally said. Kendall gave him a knowing smile.

"Alright!" Carlos cheered. He punched the air with his fist. "We're going to Hawaii."

"Not quite," Logan spoke up. "We still have to figure out how to convince Gustavo to let us go." He gave a half smile when Carlos visibly deflated. _Should have known not to let him get his hopes up so early. _"But it has to be something _really_ persuasive; otherwise we definitely won't have a chance of hell freezing over to go."

"Don't worry…" Kendall slowly started to smile, an evil glint coming to his eye. "I think I know a way that Gustavo can't say no…"

* * *

"So just to make sure that we have this clear…" Rhuben Jackson-McGuire held up a finger as she looked at the four teenage boys that were sitting in front of her, all smiling expectantly. "You want us-" she motioned to herself and her twin sister, Riley, who was standing next to her. "-to go to Rocque Records to help you guys convince Gustavo that he should let you go to Hawaii to shoot a music video?" She waved a hand in a circle before placing it on her hip. "Is that about right?"

"Yep," Carlos Garcia replied with a warm smile and a nod.

"And what makes you think that we're going to go do that?" Riley snorted. She moved her large black tray from her right hand to her front, holding it with both hands. She gave the boys an incredulous look. _These boofheads have finally lost it._ "Let me rephrase that; what makes you think that our help will actually convince Gustavo to let you do it?"

The four boys were at the Cascade Café, a popular restaurant in The Grove. They liked to go shopping there because the atmosphere made things laid back, which was a good change of pace when it came to the fast lanes that was the music industry. The restaurant as very popular among teenagers, young adults, and adults and the food and service was fantastic. But what sealed the deal for it being one of their favorite places to eat, besides Fun Burger, was that their best friends worked there part time when they weren't working on their own band, the DarkElements.

"Ok, so this is what we were thinking…" Kendall stalled, resting his hands on the table in front of him. "We're all turning eighteen soon and we're starting to get more of a sense of responsibility."

_"Ha!" _Riley laughed loudly. "You guys and responsibility is a fucking oxymoron." She smiled, obviously enjoying her own joke.

"Hold on, let me finish!" Kendall held up a hand defensively, although he was smiling. "You're going to like this idea, I promise." He cleared his throat. "With the new set of responsibility that we have, it shows that we're growing up. And because we're growing up, we wanted our fans to see that with our music, which they did with _Elevate_."

"Yeah…" Riley and Rhuben prompted him to continue, nodding slowly.

"And because we finished _Elevate _on time and worked really hard on it, we want to show Gustavo that we can handle the responsibility of making the music video," Kendall continued. "But to do it ourselves. Kind of like you guys do."

"The difference, Hockey-Head, being that we make up the story of the video, what we want to wear, what we want our make-up to look like, and the kind of locations that we want." Rhuben reminded him. She shook her head. "That's completely different than…taking a trip to Hawaii just because we have the chance."

"That's the thing though," Logan spoke up quickly. He hoped that they wouldn't disagree with the idea yet. They hadn't heard everything and when they did, he was sure that they would jump at the chance to help them out. "We haven't really had a vacation in a long time." He shrugged. "So why not kill two birds with one stone? We go on vacation to Hawaii, that way Mama Knight and Katie can get a vacation as well, and then we'll take video cameras with us to film the whole thing. When we get back, we can edit the videos that we take and turn it into the actual music video."

"The song is a summer song as it is," James reminded them. "And why not make it more summer like than to have a vacation video?" He winked at the two girls. "Besides, I'm sure that you're just dying to get the chance to see me in my new trunks."

"_And_ because our fans are getting older and want to see new things, we think that it would really resonate with them as well," Carlos jumped in, pushing James out of the way.

"Yeah, right," Riley gave a knowing smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. "In smart-speak, that just means that there are a bunch of girls out there that want to perv over your bodies, so you're planning a video where you're half naked the whole time just to draw them in." She reached out and lightly hit Carlos on the arm with her tray. "I know your how guys' minds work."

"Obviously you don't or else you would know what I'm thinking about right now," James said with a large smile on his face, looking her and her sister up and down.

Rhuben rolled her eyes, although there was a light flush on her cheeks. "Well, we get off of work in, like, ten minutes," Rhuben said. She tilted her head down to look at her watch.

Logan's eyes moved to a circular spot on her neck. A cigarette burn. He looked down at his hands as they rested on the table, his eyes immediately going to the star tattoo. It was hard to believe that in the past year they learned about the abuse of Riley, Rhuben, and their brothers Patrick, Noah, and Sydney from the hands of their then foster father, Robert Jackson. They had gotten to LA a little bit before Big Time Rush had, to work on remastering their Australian CDs for the American market and had been contractionally assigned to help Big Time Rush work on their first two albums. While they were working together, Big Time Rush found out that they were being abused. Logan found out first and kept it a secret as a promise to Riley and Rhuben, whom he had known since he was nine. The stress of having to keep the secret from his best friends nearly killed him. Then Kendall listened to their albums and looked at their lyrics, noticing that over the years, all of their albums were ways of telling the world what was going on, secretly reaching out for help. After he found out and told everyone, Robert was sent to jail and things were slowly starting to get better for the Jacksons.

But seeing the cigarette burns and some scars…it was just a painful reminder for everyone what had happened not too long ago.

"Do you guys have time to wait?" Rhuben's question broken Logan out of his thoughts. He looked up at her and caught her eye, looking away again after they exchanged a smile. He had been her best friend for years and he had always had feelings for her, since he was a kid. So when he and Camille had broken up after she kissed James, and Rhuben was there to help him through it, he was happy when they started to go out. But Rhuben noticed how upset Camille was and they broke up. But he still had feelings for her…he didn't know how Rhuben felt, but sometimes it was hard to be around her, knowing what happened.

"Yeah, go ahead." James nodded. He picked up his drink and swished it around in the glass. "We'll just finish our milkshakes while we wait for you guys."

The twin girls walked off to finish up the rest of their shift. While they were gone, the guys continued to try and come up with points that they could bring up to Gustavo and Kelly to convince them to go. It was a long shot, a very long shot. How many record companies allowed you to take video cameras, go off to a tropical vacation, and tape the whole thing just so you could make a music video? Not many, especially not with a band that was still seen as just starting out in the music industry. Typically you only got that sort of freedom after a while of working with that company as well as a measurable amount of success. And they were still on the low end of the totem pole in pop music. They wouldn't know how much more popular they got until the new album officially came out and started to hid the charts. So they were partially crazy for wanting to try something like this, but as Kendall always said, a life without risk is a life unlived.

"Move over," Riley instructed when she and Rhuben came back, dressed in their street clothes as opposed to their work uniforms. They slid into the booth by the boys. Riley leaned back, crossing her legs at the ankles, getting right to business. "Ok, boys, how do you expect us to get Gustavo to let you guys go?"

"Well, you used to be under a contract with him," Logan reminded them. "So we figured that because he knows that you guys helped us a lot, that he could take your word for it." He gave what looked like a mixture between a wince and a smile.

"That would be nice, Logie-Bear, if it weren't for the fact that our reputation precedes us," Riley said with an amused half smile. Her dark eyes flashed as she looked over at Rhuben, who smirked back in reply. "Gustavo trusts us when it comes to working with you guys, but when it comes to you getting your way on this, it might be a bit more difficult."

"That's why we need your brothers' help too," Kendall insisted. He looked back and forth between Riley and Rhuben. "All together, you guys can get what you want."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" Rhuben asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and grabbed Carlos's milkshake, taking a sip of it before handing it back to him. She did it a little forcefully, causing the milkshake to slosh over the sides and onto the table. Rhuben didn't bat an eye as Carlos let out a light screen and used his straw to try and suck up the spilled contents. "Ok, so let's say that we do get this done." She slowly smiled. "What's in it for us?"

"We want you guys to come with us," Logan replied.

Riley and Rhuben shared an identical look of shock. "We just thought that you were going to pay us or something, not that you actually wanted us to go." They said in unison.

"Why _wouldn't_ we bring you guys?" James replied, flipping his hair from his face. He looked over at his friends. "We all agreed that we want to bring you guys along to thank you for everything that you've done for us these past two years."

"Ok…" Rhuben moved her strand of purple hair out of her blue eyes. "But we thought that helping us get rid of Robert-"

"-Taking us to Minnesota for Christmas-"Riley continued.

"-And putting us in both of your album thank yous, individually and all together-"Rhuben added.

"-Was thanks enough." They concluded.

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James all laughed at the spectacle. While the two of them are identical twins they hadn't really done anything at the same time up until this past year. It always made the guys laugh whenever they, or their younger twin brothers Patrick and Noah, spoke in unison.

"But we still want you guys to come along with us," Kendall insisted. "We already decided."

"But first, you have to convince Gustavo to let us do it," James said. He then placed his hands together and stuck out his lower lip, the other guys doing the same thing. "Please? Please? Please?" He fluttered his eyelashes.

Kendall, Logan, and Carlos all did the same thing, eventually causing all four of the boys to start shouting over each other as they begged the girls for their help, bringing in stares of the other patrons. Rhuben shook her head as Riley rolled her eyes, both of them used to their antics at this point.

"Well..." Rhuben raised her hands into the air before slapping them onto the table. "Looks like we're all going to go to Hawaii."

* * *

**A/N: **Yep, it's the sequel to _It's The Rush That You Get. _I know the break between the two of them was really long, but that's because I didn't think I'd do one at first, and since the last one was so long I should take a break between the two. I think this one will be just as long if not longer, but it depends on what I do with it. Also, this one is mostly set during season three, but the first chunk of chapters is set between seasons 2 and 3, before the guys go on their All Over the World tour. This is a direct continuation of chapter 50 of _It's The Rush That You Get. _

A heads up…things in this story will contradict the last one, sorry about that, we hadn't had the timeline fleshed out then and I'm too lazy to edit the first one to make up for it/that'd be incredibly tedious. But who knows what'll happen in the future? ;)

I hope you guys enjoy the start of the new story. I'm changing my writing style slightly so that I'm keeping the characters in character, but make them realistic at the same time. I mean, they're teenagers, so they can't be nice, sweet, and do the right thing all the time. That being said, the rating may go up to 'M' at one point for language, sexuality, and violence.

Cheers,

-Riles


	2. Convince

**.:Chapter 02:.**

* * *

"The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way." ~Josh Billings

* * *

Mrs. Knight pulled herself out of her cherry red convertible, being careful not to get her clothes snagged in the door as she closed it with her hip. Checking her reflection in the side mirror, she made sure that everything was in place; no fly away hairs, her makeup wasn't smudged; her clothes were tucked in all the right places. Sighing in content, she straightened and looked back and forth across the parking lot, being wary of any cars that could have been coming her way, and walked into the Nordstrom eBar.

"Over here!"

Her red tendrils flying, Mrs. Knight turned at the call. Green eyes shifting over the nameless faces around her, she turned to face the sound of the voice and spotted Ronan, his hand in the air, looking in her direction. Mrs. Knight smiled and waved to show him that she spotted him, and made her way through the crowded restaurant to the table. She couldn't help but feel a little self conscious at the curious looks that came her way. They were probably harmless, she found herself doing the same thing whenever someone passed her table at a restaurant, but this was LA and she knew that looks could be quite critical.

"Hey." Mrs. Knight dropped into her seat, twisting to the side so she could drape her purse on the back. She turned back to Ronan with a warm smile. "How's your day going?"

"Good so far," Ronan said. He was leaning back in his seat, his right arm draped over the back of his own chair. He was the epitome of calm, cool, and collected; his right leg crossed over his left, the top few buttons on his sweater was undone, and he didn't seem bothered by her tardiness. As he spoke, an impish smile stretched across his face, "then again, Gustavo hasn't yelled at me at all, so far, so that may have something to do with it."

She laughed lightly. "You two are so mean to each other." She picked up her menu and started to leaf through it. "Was there anything in particular that you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, actually," Ronan replied. "But I think that we should wait until our food gets here before we get into that." He ran a hand over his chin, running his fingers over the stubble that peppered his face. "It's an idea that I have." He dropped his hand to his lap. "I'm not sure if I'll go through with it, so I need your opinion."

"Do Gustavo and Kelly know?" Mrs. Knight lowered her menu, figuring out what she wanted. She lifted her gaze and found her own green eyes locked on with his. He smiled a little. She definitely had her answer. "It has something to do with your kids rather than the boys, right?" Mrs. Knight nodded along with Ronan. "How are things going with that anyway? Is it still hard adjusting to everything?"

Ronan hesitated, giving Mrs. Knight time to really look at him. He looked worried though for the most part he was able to hide it well. The bags under his eyes accompanied with a darker tinge gave away his lack of sleep. Being a music producer couldn't have been easy, she knew that Gustavo was very stressed, but he didn't live with the boys and he wasn't their father either. Ronan had gone above and beyond what a man would do and adopted his friends and co-workers when it came to light that they were being abused. Now he had turned his condo into a house for the six of them and still worked as hard as he could to be their music producer, as well as becoming their manager as well.

"Things are pretty hectic," he admitted. "The condo is big enough so that everyone has their own room. But Tricky and Mouse opted to sleep on the fold out couch so their sisters and Smurf could get a room. And we have a lot of space, that's the good thing, trying to remember that I'm not the only one living there now, is hard."

"I get what you mean." Mrs. Knight could definitely sympathize, she was used to living with only Kendall and Katie, by bringing in James, Carlos, and Logan, things could get pretty hectic sometimes. "If you keep them on a schedule, which I know you do when it comes to their work, it'll get easier."

"That's not the problem." Ronan shook his head. He looked up as a waitress appeared at their table and gave her a smile and a nod as she placed two glasses of lemonade on the table as well as straws. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you."

Mrs. Knight picked up the glass and stuck a straw in it before taking a sip. It was perfect, there wasn't too much sugar and there wasn't too much lemon. The two flavors complimented each other in a tangy drink. "No, I don't mind, this is some of the best lemonade I've had."

"It's usually the only thing I live off of if I'm not drowning in coffee," Ronan said. His foot started to bob up and down before a line in his forehead creased. "I used to drink beer a lot, too. Not enough so ha it was alarming, but with my dinner or with lunch depending on my hours at the studio. Now that they're at the condo, I try not to have anything that'll upset them."

"Are they really that bad around beer?" Mrs. Knight's eyebrows lowered in concern.

"Yes and no," Ronan said slowly. He was silent for a long moment, thinking of the perfect way to explain it. "I think they have problems with people who drink too much and then go out of control. At restaurants or at company parties where beer and champagne is everywhere, they're fine." His eyes moved around the restaurant. "It was when Robert got out of control when he was drunk that was a problem."

"I guess I can understand that," Mrs. Knight agreed. "But how is everything else going?"

"Everything else is fine, they're all really responsible. Which, I guess they had to be because Robert basically neglected them in most aspects apart from their band. From what I can understand, he wasn't always that bad though, there were times that he was actually a nice guy to them." He started to smile. "But, yes, things are going well. They're really starting to act the way that I knew them when they were growing up. And, I think that they purposefully act like kids when we're at home to get on my nerves."

Mrs. Knight smiled and laughed along with Ronan. It was clear that he really did care for the Jacksons. She didn't know anyone else that would willingly take in five kids (six if you counter their older brother who was in Australia) into his home and adopt them himself when he figured out what was happening. He had been a bachelor and 'married to his job' for years but still made the selfless decision because he knew how much they were hurting and wanted to help.

"But it sounds like its fun," Mrs. Knight reasoned.

"It's a blast, really, I don't know what my life would be like without them around," Ronan said honestly. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands together. "Now all that my Mom needs to be happy is if I get a girlfriend." He locked eyes with Mrs. Knight as he said those words. She slowly sat back in her seat, not sure whether she should ask him about the comment or play it off like it was just that, a random comment. Luckily, he answered her thoughts. "But as I've told her before, I'm married to my job, so if something happens, it'll happen."

"That's what I always believed." Mrs. Knight let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Things happen for a reason, not that you make them happen." She shrugged. "Kendall, though, would tell you otherwise and it's best not to challenge him it."

Their food arrived and Mrs. Knight was surprised to see that he had ordered her exactly what she had been looking at. Halibut over a house salad. Picking up her fork, Mrs. Knight cut a piece of the fish and took a bite. Delicious. "You've got good taste."

"I get that a lot," Ronan remarked. He snapped his napkin in the air before placing it in his lap. Uncrossing his legs, he shifted his chair forward until he was sitting at a good distance from the edge of the table. Under the cloth that covered the table top, Mrs. Knight could feel his leg bump against hers. "Well, now I can get your opinion." He used a fork and knife to cut the pizza that he had ordered. "I was thinking that after we get back from Hawaii, that we'll go back to Australia."

"That's a good idea!" Mrs. Knight nodded encouragingly. "Being back in Australia may make it easier for them to adjust to their new lifestyle."

"That's what I was hoping," Ronan said. "But that's not all." Mrs. Knight gave him her undivided attention. "I was thinking that it's probably a good idea if they take a year off of making music too. They've been cranking out CD after CD, year after year ever since they started their band and I don't think they even like it anymore. A year off of making new music, off of making a new CD will do them some good. And if they aren't working on new music, they'll have more time to themselves."

"So does that mean that you're going to be in Australia for the whole year?" Mrs. Knight couldn't believe that. The boys were their best friends; it would kill them, mostly Carlos, if they had to spend a whole year apart from each other. They were each other's support system; the Jacksons helped Big Time Rush with their music and how to deal with the trials and tribulations that being in the music industry, being in the spotlight gave them and the boys helped the Jacksons get their life back.

"No!" Ronan gave a bout of startled laughter. "No way, someone would kill me if I did that. No, what would happen is that they would take the first few months of their summer, relaxing in Australia. And when they get back to California, with the free time they have from the studio, I think it'll be a good idea if two or three times a week, they went to the PalmWoods School."

"That way they can be with their friends."

"And so I can get some time off to figure out what their next move will be. I'm not saying that they can't write or record any new music or demos, just that it's not going to be their top priority. Spending more time at the school, I think will help them open up more to their friends and so I can get more time to figure out how to be a manager and a music producer now that the trial and adoption is over. It'll be hard to figure out what move is good for each of them individually and all together, but I think it can be done."

Mrs. Knight slightly turned her head away, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why do I get the feeling that that's not what you wanted my opinion on?"

"What do you think about them announcing their abuse to the world?" Ronan kept his eyes on Mrs. Knight as her mouth dropped open.

Confused, Mrs. Knight stared at Ronan. That was a big thing to ask. It was something that they had kept a secret ever since Robert started to abuse them, about seven or eight years ago, now he thought that they should tell the whole world? It just didn't add up to her. With renewed concentration, she tried to make sense of what Ronan was saying, but to no avail: she was lost. A little reluctantly, she told him so.

"I get you," he said. He ran a hand over his chin once more. "I think that the only way that they're going to be able to cope with their recovery process is if they get it off of their chest and out in the open. They've started therapy, as you know, and I asked their therapist what he thought of the matter and he thinks that it's a good idea." Ronan spread his hands, before dropping them into his lap, his food forgotten. "I just wanted to know what you thought before I talked to my kids about it."

"I think that it _could _help…" Mrs. Knight nodded slowly. She was still absorbing everything that he had said. "But it could hurt them at the same time. Do you think that it'll be easy for them to be able to go on a TV show or on the radio or a big press conference and say, 'yes, I was abused' and then deal with that attention afterwards?" She held up her hand as a look of offence crossed Ronan's handsome features. "I don't mean that in a rude way, I'm just asking."

"I've thought about it," Ronan admitted. "And I think it's the best way to go. They really need to recover from this and I think this is the best way to do it. Now, mind you, I'm not going to force them into it, I'm going to bring it up as a suggestion. But it might be the best way to go."

Mrs. Knight pushed her hair out of her face, running her fingers through the soft, wavy curls. On one hand, she thought that it was a good idea and that it could really help them. But on the other hand…no one knew how they were going to react to it, so it may as well be something that stopped them dead in their tracks as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Let's just be glad that you're not saying anything until after Hawaii," Mrs. Knight said. "You know if the boys convince Gustavo to let them go." She suddenly looked stricken. "Wait, they're not going to be going on tour together?" She knew the boys weren't going to be happy about _that_. Big Time Rush and the DarkElements had gone on their first American tour together because they had released their CDs around the same time, which got good reviews. They had done the same with their second albums and were not working on the technicalities of the upcoming _All Over the World _tour. She just assumed that the DarkElements would be touring with them on that as well, being Big Time Rush's opening act this time, instead of the other way around as it was the first tour.

"The last tour that they went on, they focused more on promoting their album in the US," Ronan explained. "This time, they're going to be focusing on promoting _Black and White _in Australia. So while they, potentially, won't be focusing on making new music, with the promotion of this album, they have a lot of hype over it, especially since they have that nomination for the ARIA."

"Right." Mrs. Knight sucked in a short breath before taking another sip of her lemonade. "Well, whatever you decide to do, I think that things are going to go well."

"Thank you." Ronan shifted his eight to his other side, his leg bumping against hers again. She could feel the area where he touched her erupt in warmth. Hoping that her face wasn't turning red, Mrs. Knight lifted her hand to her forehead, under the guise of pushing her fringe out of her face. She felt normal. How embarrassing would it be if she started to blush? "You know, I really like being able to talk to you about these things. If I knew that being a parent was going to be this difficult, I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago without having you help me."

Mrs. Knight smiled warmly. "You're welcome. But…" she held up a finger. "You've forgotten that there's one thing to them that you are before you're a father."

Ronan's eyebrow arched. "What's that?"

"A friend."

Ronan smiled.

Mrs. Knight smiled back.

* * *

Gustavo Rocque had been minding his own business in his office when the telephone rang, shattering the only quiet time that he had to himself. Ever since he had started to work with Big Time Rush, his blood pressure had risen, his doctor was constantly checking for warning signs of a heart attack, and he seemed to have a nervous breakdown every time he heard their name around him. But he knew hard work when he saw it and even though he had to push them to their limit to get it out of them; they were doing a good job. _Elevate_ was already starting to get some great reviews and they were close to starting their new tour. All they had to do was figure out the music video concept for their bonus track _Windows Down _and Big Time Rush would continue to steadily climb their way to the top.

Ignoring the ringing phone, Gustavo turned back to the sheet music that he had in front of him. They were the songs that the boys had looked at or recorded demos for that didn't make it onto the album. Some of them seemed that they would be fit to work on a new album, depending on what the boys and the record company wanted to do with it. It all went back to RCM CBT Global Net Sanyoid and what Fujisaki saw for the future of the boys. People thought that it was all up to Gustavo, but he had a boss to answer to in Griffin, and he answered to Fujisaki whenever there was a _big _executive decision to be made.

"Gustavo!"

Gustavo gritted his teeth when he heard Kelly Wainright's voice, knowing that he was going to be bitched at in some way. He looked up to see that she had her cell phone in her hand and was walking up to him, her heels clacking on the ground, with angry steps. When Kelly got close enough, she held her phone out to Gustavo and he could see Griffin's name on the Caller ID. Just what he didn't need. _Fuck._ Turning to face her, Gustavo gathered the sheet music and stacked it up in a pile. "What does that fucker want?" He had said it loud enough for Kelly to hear, causing her lips to twitch wanting to hide the smile that was threatening to make its way on her face. She rested her phone against her collarbone as Gustavo smirked in satisfaction.

"_Griffin _wants to ask you about the new music video," Kelly said calmly. Gustavo knew she felt the same way about their boss. In Gustavo's mind, Griffin was a man that was either high on some of the best marijuana around or was just bat shit crazy. The things that he made them all do over the two years they had been working for Rocque Records was just ridiculous. "He needs to know so we can work out the budget, the location, rentals, stuff like that." She held the phone out to him with a pointed look. "He wants to talk to you."

"When does he not?" Gustavo grabbed the phone from her hand and put it up to his ear. "What do you need this time, Griffin?"

Griffin's somewhat grating voice filled Gustavo's ear as he answered, "I need a good music video, Gustavo," Griffin said. "The feel good summer song is what'll boost sales for the boys and their albums. I need it soon."

_Fucker. _Didn't he think that's what Gustavo had been working on while also figuring out how their tour was going to go? He didn't just sit in his office on his ass all day doing nothing. But Gustavo couldn't tell him that unless he wanted to be out of a job and with Big Time Rush getting to the peak of their popularity, they couldn't afford for him to be out of a job. But he _really _wanted to say it. "We're working on it, Griffin. This video is taking more time than we thought because we can't figure out what we want to do with it. We have some ideas-"

"Ideas aren't good enough, Gustavo," Griffin insisted.

"I know!" Gustavo clenched his teeth together so hard he could feel his temples and jaw starting to throb. "Griffin, we're working on it." He looked up as Kelly waved a hand to get his attention. Gustavo rested the cell phone against his shoulder and looked at Kelly with a snarl. His frustration increased when she mouthed the words 'Big Time Rush is here'. Gustavo put his free hand to his forehead and nodded. He could hear Kelly walking away to bring them into the office. He put the phone back up to his ear when Big Time Rush walked in with the DarkElements trooping behind them. "Hold on, Griffin." Gustavo addressed the boys, "What do you want, dogs?"

All of the confidence that Kendall had felt before coming into the room drained away at the stern look on Gustavo's face. He turned and exchanged glances with the other boys, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. James shot him a look and placed a hand on his back, shoving him forward.

"W-well, we were thinking about what we could do with the Windows Down music video," he said slowly.

"Yeah? And?" Gustavo demanded. "Cut to the chase, I'm on an important call here with Griffin!"

"We were thinking…well, hoping, that we could do the video ourselves," Kendall continued. "You see there are these cameras called Go Pro cameras that you can attach to, say, a bike, or a helmet, or a hat and you can get some video taken that way."

"And?" Gustavo's voice held a growl in its undertone.

"What if we got a lot of Go Pro cameras as well as regular cameras and took a trip with them?" Carlos spoke up, moving to stand next to Kendall. He rubbed his hands on top, over and under each other, biting his lower lip. "Our whole idea…we were thinking that we deserved a vacation…I'm sure it's in our contract somewhere, but we were thinking that while we were on our vacation, we could shoot the music video at the same time." He gave a weak smile.

Kelly looked interested. "That could work," she said, turning to Gustavo."That way the video would be more personal, rather than manufactured completely by the company." She gestured towards the boys. "And they are working hard, they _do _deserve a vacation."

"And so do you," Patrick spoke up. He flashed a charming smile, which looked eerily like the one that James often used. "When was the last time that you guys were able to take a break and just have some time to yourselves?"

"When was the last time that you didn't have to worry about these guys driving you nuts?" Noah added, pointing over to Big Time Rush. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind him. "Would you really want them to go on vacation with you when you're not sure if they could ruin it at the drop of a hat?"

"Thanks Noah," Logan said out of the side of his mouth.

"It's going to help, trust me," Sydney whispered back. He cracked his knuckles and moved around his taller friends so that he could walk up to Gustavo's desk. "And, Gustavo, they are actually being very proactive with the whole idea," he said casually. "They were the ones that thought of bringing us along. How quickly do you think it'll go viral if there's a video of both bands out there? It'll bring a lot of publicity to you guys which, in turn, will bring a lot of publicity to us and bring it back around to you."

"It's a win-win situation if we ever knew one, mate," Rhuben added. She brushed her hair over her shoulders before examining her fingernails. "And you _do_ like to win, don't you?"

Gustavo's eyes narrowed as he looked at Big Time Rush. The boys looked back at him with eager smiles on their faces, all nodding. It would have been pretty funny if he wasn't so stressed. "You!" He pointed at James. "Speak!"

"Long story short, we were thinking of taking a trip to Hawaii, it's a good vacation for all of us, and we can tape ourselves while we're surfing or snorkeling or just seeing the sites. The song _Windows Down _is a summer song that's supposed to get people excited for the summer and our summer concert tour and this video will definitely do it."

Seeing the skeptical look on Gustavo's face, Riley spoke up. "And it's a tax write off," she added quickly. "It'll save you money as long as the boys don't break anything, adding in the money that you're going to get as a bonus and what you'll save for scouting out locations and everything." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And, since they'll be on vacation, you won't have to hire and makeup artists or clothing stylists."

Mulling it over, Gustavo leaned back in his chair. It actually made a lot of sense that they tried something new with this song. The whole point of _Elevate _was trying a new style and a new venture of the boys writing their own songs. And…he sure as hell didn't want Big Time Rush anywhere near his vacation if he had any say in it. Glancing at Kelly, he could see that she was already sold on the idea. His gaze drifted over to the raven haired family and he nearly shrank in his seat. Having five pairs of piercing blue eyes staring at you was as unsettling as one of them looking at him. If he could get away from _them_ too, things would be even better.

"Griffin." Gustavo lifted the phone back to his ear. "We have the idea for the video. I'll contact you with the details later." Ignoring Big Time Rush's excited cheers, he turned Kelly's phone off and handed it to her. "Before we go on our own vacation, please remind me to block his number so I don't have to hear that whack job's voice for a while."

Kelly laughed. "No problem."

"Thanks Gustavo," Kendall said. "We won't let you down; this is going to be a good video."

"It better be or else I'm going to strip you guys of any sense of an opinion for anything else that we do while you're still a band," Gustavo said. He then threw his hands into the air before gesturing to the Jacksons. "And what'd you have to bring them for?"

"Support." Carlos shrugged. "What's the matter with that?"

"The fact that he's afraid that we would do the same thing that we did to him _last_ time to get him to see our way of things," Rhuben said. Beside her, Patrick, Noah and Sydney were starting to snicker, while Riley was openly laughing.

"Oh yeah?" Logan looked at them warily. "What was that?"

"You know _Gulliver's Travels?" _Riley turned to the boys, smirking. She calmed down from her laughter as the boys slowly nodded. "It was kind of like that but a little more...persuasive." She laughed harder at the worried looks the boys now exchanged.

"DON'T ASK!" Gustavo barked at the boys. "And don't make me regret this decision." He glared at the Jacksons. "If something goes wrong with this, I'm laying it all down on you!"

Sydney held up his hands, palms out. "Fair enough," he said. "You won't regret it." He nodded towards Big Time Rush. "We'll make sure that they don't break any of the cameras."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence," Logan said with a half smile. Turning back to the music producer, he smiled so his dimples appeared. "Thanks for giving us the chance, Gustavo. We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get out and don't let me see you until your vacation is over," Gustavo said with a wave of his hand. He waited for the two bands to leave the office before running his hands over his face, letting out a long sigh. "Do you really think that the dogs can do this?"

"I do," Kelly agreed. "But you need to have more faith in them."

"Remind me of that the next time they break something and_ we_ have to pay for it," Gustavo said.

* * *

"Honestly, do _any_ of you guys know how to pack?" Rhuben's eyebrows rose as she looked at the clothes that lay on the floor of the crib. She twisted to look behind her, seeing the two large suitcases that were by the front door. She had to guess that they were Katie's and Mrs. Knight's. Due to personal experience, she knew that girls had a better chance of being organized with their packing than anyone else. Rhuben sighed and grabbed a discarded shirt, folding it. "God, I feel like your mum sometimes."

"Only better looking," James commented. He was sitting in front of his own suitcase, meticulously putting hair care products in specific parts of his bag, leaving his clothes to be put up by everyone else. He sat up, pushing his hair out of his face with both hands. "Why do we have to pack so much stuff anyway? We're going to a set of islands? All we need to do is wear our swimsuits."

"What if there's a flash flood?" Logan was putting together a first aid kit. Bug Spray and bandages had already gone in, now he was looking to see what sort of anti venom and anti itch they had, just in case.

"I think that's why the put hotels on higher ground, Logaine," Noah commented with a loud snort.

"Better safe than sorry."

"I prefer do it anyway," Patrick gave his two cents. Ignoring Logan's comment, 'story of your life', He shook out a shirt a couple of times before folding it and placing it on top of a stack that was sitting beside him. His nose wrinkled. "I hate folding my own clothes, why am I helping you lot?"

"Because you're some of our best friends in the entire world and if you didn't help us with it then we wouldn't be able to be ready in time to go to Hawaii?" Carlos picked up his helmet and stuck it in his suitcase along with two other ones. Closing the lid, he tried to zip it up at the same time, letting out a grunt when it got stuck.

"Simple solution, we'd just go without you," Sydney said. He was sitting in a pile of sweatshirts, trying to figure out who each one belonged to. "Besides, if you didn't bring any other clothes besides your trunks, then you'd die of hypothermia."

"That's ok." James reached out and wrapped his arms around Riley, pulling her into his chest in a hug. She flinched at the sudden movement, but relaxed moderately faster than she would have months ago, though it did take her a few moments to calm down. "We can just cuddle."

Noah looked at James with a sharp glare from underneath his fringe. "Try it and die, dude!" He cracked a smile when James immediately let go of his eldest sister, holding his hand sup so everyone could see them. He smiled, turning his attention back to the suitcase he was sitting by.

Standing at the kitchen counter, Kendall smiled as he listened to the conversation, looking over all of the vitamins that he was going to bring with them. Taking his gaze away from the pills in front of him, he looked at the raven haired family that was helping them out. Ever since he and his friends had gotten to LA the Jacksons had done nothing but help them with everything they needed, even if the boys didn't know they needed help with it. It was part of their nature, always putting other people before themselves, but now he knew that it was also because they were trying to spend as little time at home as they could. Back then, they would have had a man waiting for them that they didn't know would be angry or in a good mood. It was something that they were still trying to get over and he wanted to help as much as possible.

From the very beginning, when Carlos suggested that they go to Hawaii for their vacation and music video, his first thought was that they had to bring the Jacksons with them. It was a way to get them out of LA, out of the place where so much had gone wrong for them. They needed a vacation as much as the guys did, they hadn't had one since they started working in the music industry. So why not kill two birds with one stone and show them how much they valued the Jacksons' friendship by bringing them along with him?

He smiled as Logan finished putting together his first aid kit and started to lecture everyone on what was in it and what it was used for. They had used the first aid kit a lot when the Jacksons had first come around. Mrs. Knight had seen some of the cuts and bruises and insisted that they take care of them, though they, in turn, insisted that they didn't need it. If he had been paying attention back then, he would have found out about their abuse pretty quickly. It hadn't been that long since Robert had gone to jail and they'd been adopted by Ronan, but, clearly, there were still a lot of things that they were trying to get through.

_I just hope that we can really help them. _Kendall sighed. He didn't think that he was ever going to be able to get over that guilt. Kendall picked up the vitamins and walked over to his suitcase to put them into the top of the bag. He sat down in front of it, thanking Patrick for packing most of his clothes and started to put them up.

"Are you dying or something?" Riley asked, noticing the amount of vitamins that he was packing. "If you are, let me know now so that way I can work out what clothes to put on you in your grave."

"Nice to know that you'll worry about my appearance before my death," Kendall said with a laugh. Not even a joke like that was going to put him in a bad mood. Not when they actually managed to convince him to let them go to Hawaii. He was sure that it was going to be a trip that everyone was going to enjoy even if they were going to work part of the time. "So what do you guys plan to do when we get there?"

"Surfing for sure," Patrick said immediately. Riley let out a holler of agreement and the two high-fived, laughing.

"I really want to check out Pearl Harbor," Logan said. He bobbed his head back and forth. "And the beach and the volcanoes…I want to do a lot of things while we're there. We have so much to do and now we have a reason to do it." He looked over at the first aid kit, his smile waning. "Though I might need to double up on some stuff."

"Worry wart!" Carlos coughed into his hand before smacking Logan on the back of the head.

"What about you, Kendall?" Rhuben grabbed James's suitcase from him and started to shove folded clothes inside it. "Is there anything in particular that you want to do while we're in Hawaii?"

Kendall glanced at her, wondering if there was something that she wasn't exactly asking, before shrugging. "Nothing in particular." He rested his hands on the ground behind him and leaned his weight against it. _I just hope it doesn't blow up in our faces. _"This is going to be the vacation to last a lifetime, guys," Kendall said with a nod. He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than the others. "Trust me."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys liked this chapter.

Since they're off to Hawaii in the next chapter, you won't see Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie until DE are in Australia. Especially because DE goes to Hawaii and then when they get back, they have a couple of days before going off to Australia. But you'll see them soon.

_Constructive Criticism is welcome._

Cheers,

-Riles


	3. Hawaii (PART 1)

**.:Chapter 03:.**

* * *

"Hawaii can be heaven and it can be hell." ~Jeff Goldlum

* * *

"When's our flight again?"

Carlos watched as Logan let out an exasperated sigh and lowered the scientific journal that he was reading and collected himself before replying. Carlos stretched his legs out on the orange couch and drummed his feet against Logan's side, hoping to piss him off even more. Logan merely reached out and smacked at Carlos's feet with the scientific journal until he pulled his feet away.

"Our flight isn't until later this afternoon, like I told you five times already. Go bug someone else!"

Carlos shrugged. "But it's not as much fun if I'm not bugging you," he said honestly. At Logan's glare, he smiled impishly. "That constipated, I'm-so-annoyed-that-my-head's-going-to-explode is so funny that James, Kendall, and I make bets to see who will make you crack first."

Logan's mouth dropped open in indignation and he stuck his nose in the air, purposefully turning away from Carlos. Giggling to himself, Carlos lifted his foot, ready to deliver a swift kick to Logan's side. Shifting to the edge of the couch in case he needed to make a fast getaway, Carlos shot his foot forward, only for Logan to catch it at the last second and push hard, knocking Carlos to the floor. Carlos landed on his face with a dull thud.

Carlos rolled onto his back and pouted at Logan's smirk. "No fair!" He rolled onto his stomach and rested his chin in his hands. Now what was he going to do to entertain himself while he waited to go to Hawaii? He wasn't going to unpack and repack his bags again; he did that earlier that morning. And they had already looked online to see some of the things that they planned on doing while they were there; paddle boarding, snorkeling, surfing of course…it was going to be a blast! He just wanted to get there!

"Hey!" James greeted as he walked through the front door of the crib. Carlos perked up. Maybe James had something that they could do. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"He was bugging me." Logan's answer was all the explanation that James needed. Though Carlos was his best bud and they shared rooms, there were many times that they would get into small, pointless fights, because of little nitpicks that they had with each other. Logan usually could keep his cool for a while, but if it was anything math, science, or homework related, everyone knew not to bother him.

"Oh, ok." James shrugged and closed the door behind him. "Where's Kendall?"

"In our room," Logan replied. "Why what's up?"

"I got a text from Sydney saying that we needed to get to Blazing Phoenix," James explained. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it again. "He said that there's something that we need to help them with and it'll help us with our own band in the future so I guess it's important." His hazel eyes lit up. "Maybe they're going to ask us to be backing vocals on a new track or something." He looked pointedly at Logan. "Especially because you and Kendall were the only ones that got onto their album."

Logan rolled his eyes, tossing the scientific journal onto the coffee table. "I can't believe that you're bringing that up again."

"Yeah, Jelly McJealous!" Carlos added teasingly.

James looked down at Carlos, who was still on the floor, before looking at Logan with a hard, slightly wide-eyed stare. "I'm just saying that credit needs to be given where credit is due." He held his hands up, palms out. "I was the one that wanted to do this in the first place, remember?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but Kendall was the one that got you out here," Carlos reminded him.

"Do you want to lose your fucking head?"

"No, not really." Carlos smiled when he noticed the familiar twinkle in James's eyes, letting him know that he wasn't in any real immediate danger. Carlos pushed himself to his knees and he got to his feet. "I'll go get Kendall and then we'll go to Blazing Phoenix." Carlos walked into Kendall's room and glanced over at his bed before taking a flying leap onto him.

"Ow!" Kendall shot awake at the sudden pain and turned his head to glare at Carlos. "What are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep." Kendall rubbed his eye. "If our flight isn't until late tonight, I know that I'm going to be up for hours, so I was trying to get a nap in before I was _rudely _interrupted."

"Oh." Carlos shrugged. "Well, anyway, the Jacksons want us to go to Blazing Phoenix Records because they need our help with something." He noticed Kendall's confused glance. "Yeah, I know. We're not usually asked over there, and they typically come to us. But we really want to see what's going on and we're not going to know unless you wake up." Carlos sang the last few words, shaking Kendall's arm as he did so, causing Kendall to smile a little.

"Alright. Alright. I'm going."

Carlos rolled off of Kendall and slid off of his bed, waiting for Kendall to get up. Once he was sure that his blond friend was awake, he left the room and grabbed his helmet from the kitchen table, slipping it onto his head. Kendall then left the room and grabbed the keys to the Big Time Rush mobile. They left the PalmWoods, got into the car, and drove into LA to get to Blazing Phoenix Records.

Carlos's mind wandered as they maneuvered through traffic. He was so excited for Hawaii; ever since he was a kid, he wanted to go to Hawaii. The look of the forests, the blue sky, the equally blue water, the rainbows, the surf, the sand, the waves, and the food…There wasn't anything that he wasn't excited about being able to see, especially since his best friends were going to be involved with it. It was good enough that Logan, Kendall, and James were going with them and that they were being able to make a fun music video for their fans. It was even better that they were having the Jacksons go along, but he was worried about it too. There was so much that they had gone through and so much that they were going to have to deal with in the future, so being able to have one good vacation, to be able to get away from the pressures of LA and from their work just for a little while should do them some good.

He just wanted everything to go right for them, they deserved it.

When Big Time Rush arrived at Blazing Phoenix, they were surprised to see that there were lots of cars and people waiting around. Getting out of the Big Time Rush mobile, they were suddenly surrounded by screaming fans that begged for their autographs and pictures. Carlos happily signed as many pictures and shirts and posters as he could while also happily posing for pictures. He looked over at James, Kendall, and Logan and saw that they were taking the time to stop and take pictures and sign autographs as well. Unlike most bands, they really cared about their fans and were very well aware that they wouldn't be where they were without them around. Even if a minute out of their day made someone's life, they were going to be grateful for it.

"I wonder what all of these people are around for," Logan mused as the boys headed inside the record company. "I don't think I've ever seen the place this packed."

"Maybe they're signing someone new to the company," Kendall suggested. "Having an audition process or something."

"You got the audition part right," Sydney commented as he walked over to the four boys. He gave each of the boys a high-five in greeting. He pushed his bandana up his forehead, wiping sweat off of the side of his neck. "But it's not for a new talent to sign to the label." He gave a bright smile, his dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Are you guys excited for Hawaii later?"

"You have no idea," Carlos replied. "I haven't been able to sleep, I've been so excited." He studied his friend and the youngest of the Jacksons and their band, the DarkElements. He was only ten years old, but still had to go through a lot more than Carlos ever had in his whole life. There were many times that he was surprised to see that Sydney acted like a wise old man, which helped that he was certified as a genius, and then there were other times that he acted his age and was as rambunctious and crazy as Carlos could be.

"I'll bet," Sydney agreed. "We're the same way whenever we're going back to Oz. Most times we don't sleep before the flight and try to take as much time as we can sleeping on the plane so we can get used to the time change."

"Sydney!"

Sydney turned to address the receptionist as she waved to get his attention. "Yes, Annaleigh?"

"They really need you back there," Annaleigh said. She turned back to her desk before holding up four laminated passes. "Give these to the guys and they can get back there with no problems."

"No worries, thanks." Sydney turned back to the boys. "I don't know if you guys heard, but we're auditioning for some backup dancers." He waved a hand and led the boys over to Annaleigh's desk. "It's stupid really, there were problems with our original backup dancers' VISAs or passports or something, so we have to rush to get these guys put together." He took the badges from Annaleigh and passed them out to the boys. "So we thought that we'd get you guys to help us figure out which ones that we're going to hire."

"Awesome!" James cried, his eyes lighting up. "We get to watch girls dance for us?"

"And guys," Sydney quickly reminded him. He gave James a stern look as he led them down a hallway to the left. "Don't think that this is supposed to be for your enjoyment, you're helping us with this and if you make a bad decision, it's not only reflected on us, it's also reflected on you."

"Wow, way to bring down my mood." James pouted.

Sydney smiled.

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James followed Sydney into a large dance studio where girls and boys of all ages were in the room, stretching, talking, and practicing some of their dance moves. Sydney led the guys over to his siblings, who were all standing around a table with Ronan and three other men that Big Time Rush had never seen before, all talking quietly.

"As you can see, even though we're going on vacation today, we still don't have the day off." Sydney turned and poked Ronan on the arm. "The guys are here."

"Oh, good." Ronan turned to Big Time Rush with a warm smiled. "Glad to see that you guys could help us out." He picked up a stack of pictures and handed it over to the boys. "Here are the resumes that you all are going to be looking over as each person performs the routine that we showed them. And you're going to give your scores on all of them, guys and girls, so you can help us have a wide variety of opinions before we figure out who we're going to choose for their replacement backup dancers until their real ones get everything sorted out."

"Sure, no problem." Logan smiled and nodded.

"Cool! Then let's get started."

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James all settled down on the floor and got the resumes and score sheets situated before the auditions started and they watched the process. There was a lot more involved with it than the originally thought. They kids were all grouped together by gender and by age and then each of them were called upon and explained how long they had been dancing and for which companies and productions. Then they had to showcase some of their own dancing talent before they moved into groups to start working on the choreography that the Jacksons had shown them to Taylor Swift's _I Knew You Were Trouble_.

Pushing their very obvious thoughts aside, the guys watched each of the groups with a critical eye, looking out for imperfections that Rhuben or their new choreographer, Hi-Hat, had been pointing out to them in their own routines. Was anyone off time? Too fast? Too slow? Not showing enough confidence? Not looking like they were having a good time? Even what they were wearing had to be scrutinized, to see whether or not it would fit with the style that the DarkElements exuded.

Carlos shifted the stack of resumes that was in his hand and stared when his girlfriend's face looked up at him. He knew that Stephanie liked to dance on the side whenever she got a chance, but he didn't think that she would try out to be a band's backup dancer. He looked up and watched as she went through the motions of her audition with a group of three other girls. They were all really good. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he watched her, knowing how hard she must have worked to be able to get to that point. Once she was finished with her audition and there was time for a break, Carlos got up and followed her outside.

"Steph!" He got her attention.

"Hey Carlos," she greeted him, giving him a hug and a kiss. "I didn't know that you were coming today."

"Neither did I," Carlos replied. He grabbed onto her hands, swinging them back and forth between them. "Why didn't you tell me that you were going to be auditioning for them? I would have helped you if you need it? I'm good." He then started to spastically flail around, making Stephanie laughed. Carlos beamed as he stopped dancing.

"Well, Patrick and Noah convinced me to do it." Stephanie pushed her hair behind her ears. "I wasn't sure at first, but they thought that it'd be a good idea. And…I don't know, I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how you'd react to it." Carlos frowned. She didn't know how he'd react? Would he be anything but supportive? She quickly explained. "I mean, what if I didn't get it? Or, what if I was bad or something? I'm really good at films, but this is something that I've just done for fun. I've never _really _tried it."

"You're going to do fine, Steph, you've already done a great audition," Carlos reassured her. "They'd be crazy not to hire you."

"That's the other part." Stephanie frowned. "You know those other guys that were in the room with them?" Carlos shrugged and nodded. "Those are the marketing team for Blazing Phoenix. They're the ones that make the ultimate decision, along with Ronan, because it has to represent the image of the band as well as the image of Blazing Phoenix. So, even if I wanted to have favoritism, which I don't, I'm not sure if I could get it."

Carlos smiled a little. It was the first time that he had seen her insecure about anything. She had been so serious about her filmmaking and all of the ideas that she for new movies that she wanted to try. Ding everything on no-budget made her become very creative as well as confident in what she wanted it to turn out like, but when it was something else that would be viewed by hundreds of people each time she went to do a show, they would voice their opinions pretty quickly.

That was something that Carlos didn't like about being in the music industry. He was already, arguably, the weakest of the four guys in all aspects of their band so he knew how she felt. He found himself, even though he was told not to, going on the internet and looking at the comments that people had about their shows in their reviews. His fan's comments about his singing and performance could make him smile, but he wasn't sure if they were being completely honest or if they were just trying to be suck ups. Usually he could see the difference between real praise and insincere praise but you had to have tough skin in his part of the entertainment business or any part really.

So he understood her fears.

"Listen." Carlos grabbed onto her shoulders and gently shook her. "You did an amazing job; you're going to get this." He gave her a kiss. "Trust me." Stephanie smiled and gave him a kiss back.

"Thanks." She squeezed his hand.

"You're welcome."

Carlos led her back into the studio and she rejoined her group as they waited for the rest of the dancers to go through their auditions. Riley and Rhuben moved to the floor to sit with the guys. "So what d'you think?" Rhuben asked, twisting a pen in her fingers. She looked them all in the eye. "Apart from the obvious, I mean."

"I'm not thinking anything other than how much I would love to go on a date with _her_!" James said, pointing to a tall brunette across the room.

The twin girls followed his gaze. Riley raised an eyebrow as she turned back to the boys. "You can try all you want, mate, but good luck trying to tell her that she has chronic bad breath." She smirked. "But, hey, if you can hold your breath long enough to get a date, then by all means, go for it."

"So how come you guys didn't tell us that you were having trouble with your backup dancers?" Logan played with his shoelaces. "It seems like you were really down to the wire when it came to getting this done and going to Hawaii."

"Steph wanted to keep her audition a secret," Rhuben said. "What'd you think of her?"

"She's really good," Kendall said, as supportive as ever. "In fact, we wish you didn't get to her before we did. She could have been in one of our videos or something." He started to trace a circle on the ground with his index finger. "And, well, we're going to be doing the video for _Music Sounds Better With U _soon and we were thinking that you could-"

"You know, you're going to have to stop using us for your guys' band at some point," Rhuben interrupted. Her eyes flashed with an emotion that the guys couldn't place. "We're not contracted to work with you anymore."

"So you're not going to help us when we need it?" Carlos asked. He stuck out his lower lip.

"That's not what she meant," Riley said quickly. She exchanged a glance with Rhuben. "We just mean that at some point or another we're not going to be able to help each other." Her hands tightened into fists. "And we're not contracted to work with you anymore. So you're going to have to get used it sooner rather than later."

"You make it sound like you're dying," Kendall said, repeating her words back to her.

The twin girls looked at each other for a few moments before changing the subject to Hawaii, easily grabbing the boys' attention, though they all ended up tuning out as Logan continued to talk about the history and the science behind Hawaii, it's formation, and it's chief imports and exports. They all turned to attention when Ronan clapped his hands loudly.

"We'd like to thank everyone for coming out to audition for us today," he said diplomatically. "Everyone did a good job, but we can only choose a few of you." He lifted his score sheet to his face. "So numbers 25, 42, 21, 8, and 60, congratulations."

Stephanie beamed when she heard her number called. "Thanks so much!" She said, reaching out and shaking Ronan's hand firmly. "I promise that I'll do my best with this." She turned and gave Riley and Rhuben a hug as they and Big Time Rush got up from the floor to congratulate her.

"Congrats, Steph!" Noah said with a warm smile, giving her a high five. He motioned to himself and Patrick."We knew you could do it. Aren't you glad that we talked you into it?"

"Yes, of course! Thanks guys." She gave the twin boys a hug before turning to acknowledge Kendall's, Logan's, and James's congratulations as well.

Carlos glanced over at Noah for a moment before listening to what his girlfriend had to say about how excited she was about being able to start working with their friends as soon as they got back from Hawaii. Carlos did have moments where he was insecure, but he never thought that he would ever get to that point when his girlfriend was involved.

"Now all we have to do is get to Hawaii," Sydney smiled.

At least for a while he wouldn't have to worry about it.

* * *

Hawaii.

The ocean-blue views, the sandy shores, and green plants that covered everything. The natives who greet tourists with warm affection, the bright, white, fluffy clouds that dotted the sky. The golden sunrays that filtered through the clouds, the smell of the natural freshness of the flowers. It was paradise and the Big Time Rush boys were definitely feeling it. Fresh out of the airport and abandoning their bags in the hotel lobby, Big Time Rush and the DarkElements were already headed down to the beach to get a jump start in what Hawaii had in store for them.

"So what are Gustavo and Kelly doing for their time off away from you guys?" Noah asked, dropping his sunglasses from his head to cover his eyes.

Carlos snorted. "Who cares?"

Patrick laughed along with him and smiled. "Hey, I'm complaining, a whole vacation free of Gustavo screaming at us is what I've wanted since I first met him."

"Where are Mama Knight and Ronan anyway?" Logan folded up his tourist map and stuck it in his trunks pocket. He looked at his watch in concern before crossing his arms over his chest. "We have to get going or we're going to miss the boats.

"Mom's sleeping," Kendall replied. He scratched the back of his neck as he looked around the lobby, being sure that all of their bags had been taken up to the rooms. As soon as they had arrived in Maui, he and the guys were completely energized. His mother, on the other hand, seemed to be dead on her feet as she could barely book the massive suite that they were all going to be staying in. Even the idea of checking out a suite that was going to hold twelve people didn't excite them as much as the idea of being able to get to the beach so quickly.

"Jet lag must have really gotten to her," he explained. "Katie said that she's going to stay in the suite and use the mini-fridge, the big screen, LCD TV, and the room service all vacation, so I didn't think she was going to come with us." He put his hands on his hips. "And Ronan, I think he said that he was going to go into town?" He turned to the Jacksons to get some clarification on what their father had said.

"Yeah, he said that he was going to do some sightseeing while we're out," Patrick agreed. He scratched his bare chest underneath his open button down t-shirt before pulling up the waistband of his swim trunks. "And Riles and Rhubes are waiting for us outside." An impatient look crossed his face. "So can we get going please?"

"Yeah, we're going," James said. He was as eager to get going as the others were. The beach in Hawaii was already ten times as different as it was in LA. The whole atmosphere was much more relaxed, he could already feel himself loosening up without having someone breathe down his neck. As the boys started to walk out of the lobby, James noticed the bag that was tucked under Logan's arm. "What's that?"

"A first aid kit." Logan proudly showed off the contents before zipping the bag back up and tucking it under his arm pit. "You never know if someone is going to step on some coral-"

"We're in Hawaii not Australia, Logaine," Patrick pointed out.

"You don't know if you're going to step on a sea-urchin, a jelly fish, get stung by a manta ray." Ignoring the looks and rolled eyes he received, Logan gave a smug smile. "Don't come crying to me when your foot swells and falls off."

"All right." Carlos shrugged. "We'll just chop off one of your feet and sew it onto our leg to replace ours." He laughed along with Kendall, Carlos, Patrick and Noah as they walked outside to Riley, Rhuben, and Sydney, who were impatiently waiting for them.

"Finally," Sydney cried. "Let's go! We're going paddle boarding and snorkeling!" He reached up and gripped the dog-tag necklace that was around his neck. He had gotten it from his parents before they died, and on each side had an 'S' printed on it. "We haven't tried paddle boarding, but it sounds like it should be fun."

"You can paddle board all you want, but I don't plan on going snorkeling," Riley commented, pushing up the sleeves of her light mesh jacket.

"Why?" Confused, Logan studied her. She and her siblings were well known for trying out basically any water sport that anyone could come up with. If they had the day off from everything, they could easily be found spending the whole day hanging out at the beach. So what was so different about snorkeling? "You guys are always so gung ho when it comes to water sports, how come this one is different?"

"Gee, I don't know…" Rhuben pretended to think about it. "Maybe the fact that you're underwater with a stupid tube in your mouth, trying to remember _not_ to breathe in when you're down there." She shrugged. "But, I don't know, there could be a number of other reasons to not want to go snorkeling."

"Oh, don't worry!" Carlos grinned. "I'm a certified SCUBA instructor, so I can rescue you if you're drowning."

James then reached out and shoved Carlos out of the way, knocking him to the floor. "And I can give you CPR." He said. Kendall chuckled as he reached up and patted James on the arm, grinning as well.

"Well, then I'll be sure _not _to drown," Riley said and laughed along with her siblings. "C'mon, we got the keys to the jeeps that we're renting." She pulled a pair of car keys out of the pocket of her swim shorts and jiggled them around. "And you know what the best part is?"

"What?" Carlos asked as Noah helped him up off the floor.

"Since Logie is the only one with his license, that means that he, Riles, and I get to drive the whole time that we're here!" Rhuben laughed and high-fived Logan who took an extra set of the keys to the jeep as well.

"Oh come on," James groaned. He motioned to himself, Carlos, and Kendall, who were pouting as well. "We have our permits and we're getting our licenses sometime."

"Well, unless you find a DMV here that will be bribed with coconuts, you're not driving." Rhuben said. "Now come on, you blokes said that you were going to film this for your music video, so let's get filming." She nodded over to Sydney, who pulled a hand-held camera out from a bag that he had around his neck. "Syd brought his video camera too, just in case you guys want a different sort of shot. And, of course," she pointed to her own bag. "I have my digital camera."

"Photo-Op!" Noah said. The two bands shuffled together as Rhuben went over to a person at the front desk, asking if they could take a picture of them. Once they agreed, she went back over to her friends and siblings and smiled along with them as they took the picture. "Alright, let's go!"

They went outside and got into the two jeeps that they had rented for the duration of their stay in Hawaii, and climbed inside both of them, Logan behind the wheel of one, and Riley behind the wheel of the other. Once they were all buckled in and were sure that they had everything that they needed, they started the jeeps and were on their way to the docks, where they were going to meet up with some locals to take them snorkeling and paddle boarding. Once they were on the road, Kendall, James, and Carlos had turned on the hand held cameras that Gustavo and Kelly had given them (after making sure that they were water-proof and they had insurance on anything else that the guys could do to ruin them) and were leaning out of the cars, filming each other as Logan blasted their song, _Windows Down_, from his jeep's speakers and everybody sang along to it, having to practically scream it at the top of their lungs to be heard over the rushing wind.

When they pulled up to the dock, Carlos practically sprinted out of the cars and went over to the docks. "Hey," Kendall greeted the two men that were waiting for them with a light wave. "I'm Kendall, that's Carlos, Logan, James, and the Jacksons-"

"How come we're never introduced by name?" Noah asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his siblings. "They're always mentioned by name and we're just grouped together."

"Trust me; Buddy, when I say that it's better than having to worry about people trying to _remember _our names," Patrick patted Noah on the shoulder as Sydney smiled and laughed to himself. He turned back to the others. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you all too," The man on the left said with a wave. "I'm Jordy and that's Hank." He clapped his partner on the shoulder. "We're going to be your captains for today. I understand that you all want to try paddle boarding today."

"That's right," James agreed. "We heard that it's the number one thing that you should try when you go on vacation to Hawaii. And it sounds really rad, so we thought we'd give it a go."

"Alright!" Jordy clapped his hands together. "We'll get you on board, go over a few safety precautions and then we can be on our way." Jordy and Hank climbed onto the boat and the others got on as well. Hank started up the engine and they pulled away from the dock, heading out into the open water. "Ok, first thing that you guys have to know-" Hank called over the roar of the engine as Jordy steered them. "-Is that once you start Paddle boarding, you're going to be addicted to it as soon as you try."

"That's what we're hoping," Kendall said, putting his sunglasses down over his face.

"To learn how to paddle board, you start out by standing up on the board and holding the paddle with one of your hands about one-third of the way down the shaft of the paddle and one hand on the handle of the paddle." Hank instructed by holding onto a paddle in his hands. He was standing up in the middle of the boat, not seeming to be bothered by the rocking motion that it made as they zoomed out into the ocean. "When you paddle on the left side of the board you hold the paddle with your right hand, and then switch hands for the other side." He explained. "Put the blade about one and one-half feet in front of you on the side of the board in the water and then smoothly pull the blade of the paddle through the water."

"Just like you would do if you were kayaking or canoeing," Logan spoke up. "In fact, did you know that paddle boarding is closely related to-"

"Shhh!" Carlos shushed Logan loudly, slapping a hand over his mouth. "I'm trying to hear!" Logan frowned at Carlos and opened his mouth, running his tongue over Carlos's palm. Carlos pulled his hand away and wiped the saliva off on Logan's shoulder, causing the smarter teen to make a face of disgust and horror.

"When the blade reaches a point that is about one foot behind your body, that's when lift it up from the water and put it to the front again," Hank continued. "And that's how you paddle board. But the key to being able to stay up is if you figure out how to balance your body weight over the board."

"Oh so kind of like surfing," Riley said.

"Exactly, Little Lady," Hank said. "You might want to paddle several times on one side before alternating hands and sides, just so you don't get tired too quickly. But it also depends on the weather and currents in the water."

Sydney shot his hand into the air. "We're all really big surfers," He said. "Can you use these things to surf too? Or is it harder?"

"You can use paddle boards as an alternate way for you to surf," Hank placed his hands on his hips. He started to pace back and forth, his expert balance obvious from the way that he didn't wobble at any turn or slight jump of the water as a wave rolled under their boat. "In fact some people prefer it because you have a higher view point when it comes to be seeing the waves that are coming closer. And you also have a paddle to keep you afloat and to keep your balance, since you're not strapped onto the board."

"Cool!" Kendall rubbed his hands together. "So when can we get started?" he asked as the boat slowed down.

"Right now," James replied. He and Logan grabbed onto Kendall's arms and legs and tilted him backwards, knocking him over the side of the boat and into the water. The Jacksons, Logan, Carlos, and James laughed as Kendall disappeared in a large splash of water and then resurfaced, shaking out his blonde hair, spitting water out of his mouth. "Oh, that was classic!" James declared, clapping his hands together. "Did you get that on tape?"

"Got it!" Sydney replied, waving his video camera around.

"You know, it might have been a good idea if you waited for K-Dawg to get his shirt off first," Rhuben remarked as Kendall pulled the soaked object off of his head and tossed it into the boat with a loud smack. "That way we wouldn't have to worry about him possibly drowning."

"And miss that look on his face?" Carlos replied. "I don't think so. Whoa!" When Carlos wasn't looking, Kendall had grabbed onto his arm and tugged him into the water as well. "That wasn't funny," he pouted as he popped back up, treading water.

"It was funny to me," Kendall shot back before sloshing a wave of water at him,

"All right, go out there and have some fun then," Jordy said as he killed the engine. He turned and started to throw some paddle boards and paddles out into the water as Hank moved to drop anchor. "We're just going to be sitting here in the boat, call us if you need us."

"No problem!" Patrick replied as he stood on the side of the boat. He did a flip into the water, landing beside Kendall and Carlos with a big splash. "Ooh, the water's warm too!" He floated on his back and lazily kicked his feet up and down as he moved towards a paddle board.

"You didn't pee did you?" Noah asked and then laughed before he, Sydney, Riley, and Rhuben jumped into the water as well. "It wouldn't be the first time," he added to James as he climbed onto a paddle board.

"Ha ha." Patrick rolled his eyes.

"Logie-Bear, aren't you coming?" Riley asked as she got up onto a paddle board and crouched low; balancing enough to be sure that she didn't knock herself back into the water. When she was sure that she had her balance she slowly stood up before grabbing the paddle. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure that I have everything that we could need in the First Aid Kit," Logan replied, moving through the contents of the small black bag. "I'm not sure, but I think I forgot about the water proof bandages."

"Logie, come on!" Sydney called. He was already standing up on his board, paddling a little bit away from the boat. He turned and started to circle it as the others got up onto their boards as well. "This is fun, you're missing out."

"All right, I'm coming!" Logan rolled his eyes before climbing out of the boat and sliding into the water. He swam over to the last paddle board and grabbed the paddle before climbing on top of it. "But if any of you guys get stung by a jelly fish, don't expect me to pee on your foot."

"Trust me, Logan, we wouldn't want you to." Rhuben replied.

Carlos laughed loudly as he put his paddle in the water and started to follow his friends through the water. Small waves rolled under their boards, threatening to knock them over. That just caused them to make a game of lifting their paddles and try to knock each other off of their boards. Sydney laughed the hardest when James tried to knock him off and he just grabbed onto James's paddle and pulled hard, knocking James off of his board. Carlos couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he watched his friends. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, the sun was shining, there was a light breeze, the water was crystal clear, and they were going to be there for the rest of the week. He couldn't think of a better place to spend a vacation with his best friends to make a music video.

"Oh no!" Carlos cried, as he accidentally dropped his paddle. He got down onto his stomach and started to paddle back towards it, but his frantic movements caused the paddle to move further away from him.

"Carlos!" Kendall was sitting on his knees on his own board, making faces into the camera that Noah was holding onto. He turned away when he heard Carlos's cry. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I dropped my paddle and I can't get it back!" Carlos cried.

"That's because you're pushing it away from you," Logan said, laughing as Carlos continued to windmill his arms, trying to get to the paddle. He moved forward and reached out, latching onto the back of Carlos's paddle board. "You have to move forward in slow, even strokes to get there." He sputtered and spit water out of his mouth as Carlos continued to do what he was doing before. "I said slow, even strokes, not spastic strokes!"

"I'll get it," Patrick offered, putting down his own paddle. He took a breath before diving off of his board and into the water.

"Have you noticed that he got the show-off gene in the family?" Sydney asked as he tilted his head to the side, watching as Patrick swam over to the paddle, watching him underwater as he went as far as he could without having to come up for air.

"It took you that long to figure that out?" Kendall snorted. "I've known that since I met you guys."

"And yet he _still_ has friends," Rhuben shook her head. "That's a shock." She leaned over and held out her had for a high-five as Kendall laughed.

"Nice one, Benny," he said, giving her a high-five.

Patrick resurfaced by the paddle and shook the water out of his long black hair before holding the paddle up with his other hand. "Got it!" He treaded water over to Carlos. "Here you go, Carlitos." His eyes were shinning as he held the paddle out to him. "You guys should see it down there! The water's so clear; you can see the fish and everything!"

"Sounds good to me!" James grabbed onto the snorkel gear that he had hooked to the side of his trunks before doing a back-flip off of his paddle board and into the water. Holding his breath, he put the goggles over his face and the breathing tube in his mouth before he started to slowly swim through the water.

Patrick was right, it was cool.

Bubbles rose from James's mouth, to the surface, he swam past silver fish, past a turtle. The water was as warm as it was at the water line. He tried not to smile, knowing that he would just get water into his mouth if he did, as he looked around at everything around. The view was just spectacular; it was enhanced by the filter of sunlight that streamed in from above him. James rose to the top of the water, getting air. His eyes grew wide with excitement and amazement, as he ripped off the goggles that were over his face. Cool air moved across the shoreline, giving him the chills, but it still didn't dampen his mood.

"Oh my god, guys you have to get under there!" James said, brushing his hair back off of his forehead. "It's amazing!"

"I told you before, I'm not going under there," Riley said, shaking her head, her stringy hair plastered to the sides of her face. "And you can't make me." Her eyes widened when she noticed Logan and Carlos look at each other before swimming over to her. "I shouldn't have said that." She said before they grasped her arms. Forcing a pair of goggles over her face and a snorkel in her mouth, they dunked her head underwater.

"You should try it too, Rhu," Kendall said as he put a pair of goggles over his face as well. "You could get some really good under water shots for your portfolio," he said in a sing-song voice.

Rhuben twisted her mouth to the side, thinking about it. "You guys aren't going to leave me alone about this unless I agree are you?"

"Nope," Sydney said as he slid off of his board and fitted himself with a pair of goggles as well. "You should know that by now." He raised an eyebrow. "How do you think that we keep getting roped up into their crazy schemes? I mean, remember what happened at the prom? That was the only time that we didn't help them and we were the ones that ended up having a good time." He smirked, his eyes flashing. "And it was _their_ prom."

"That's not funny," Kendall said, shaking his head.

"Yes it is," Rhuben said as she got herself ready as well. "I mean, you're the one that ended up being put on the watch list for the CIA, not us."

"And all signs pointed to us," Sydney replied.

Kendall rolled his eyes and stuck the breathing tube into his mouth before he ducked underwater along with his friends. He looked around and watched as Logan and Carlos, who were still holding onto Riley, were lightly swimming through the water, Patrick and Noah were swimming circles around everyone, and James, Sydney, Rhuben, and Kendall were treading water with them. Rhuben pulled her water proof digital camera out and turned it on, starting to take pictures of their friends as Sydney used his video camera to tape them.

The group of friends then started to explore the ocean, swimming over and under each other, twisting this way and that as they went. Kendall turned onto his back and looked up, fighting to stay still in the undulating surf. He wiggled forward to allow a tangle of seaweed to pass, bouncing across the sandy bottom like tumbleweed in one wave and then slinking along the ocean floor like a flounder in the next. He wiggled forward, lost in the pure joy of the water against his skin.

The group explored the ocean as long as they could before they got back up onto their paddle boards and started to play around on those again, knocking each other off and tipping their boards over so they continued to fall off. Soon Carlos was complaining about how hungry he was.

"Let's go back to the hotel and raid room service with Katie," he suggested, his eyes growing wide at the thought.

"And who do you expect to pay for it?" Patrick inspected his pruned hands. "Because I'm sure that Mama Knight and Ronan wouldn't be too happy if we ran up a large bill on those Macadamia nuts." He lifted his head and grinned. "Though that would be so worth it."

"You're forgetting," Carlos said, holding up a finger. "That Gustavo is paying for our whole trip. And that _includes _the room service."

Kendall, Logan, and James all looked at each other before they started rapidly paddle back towards the boat as fast as they could pushing each other out of the way as they tried to grab onto the ladder to get back inside. Carlos hurried after them.

"How long do you think it's going to take for them to realize that if Mama Knight had woken up and she and Katie went into town with Ronan, they have no way for them to get into their suite?" Riley asked as she and her siblings slowly paddled after their friends.

"Considering how dumb they can be sometimes…" Sydney pretended to think about it. "I give them about an hour."

Their vacation had just begun and they were already having a blast.

* * *

**A/N:** As for the guys cursing, like I said before, I'm writing them in a more realistic way and teenage guys curse a lot from what I've seen, so while I'm trying not to keep them out of character, they'd be cursing a bit more freely, though in moments that make sense for them to do it as opposed to my characters where it makes sense to their personalities if they curse. Yeah, first time we saw Stephanie's audition, though it's been mentioned. Ok, well, not exactly as it's kinda hard to explain the audition process for dancing that makes it interesting.

And now they're in Hawaii, more is coming up with the next chapter and the drama starts in the next chapter as well. If you didn't get it, BTR and DE haven't seen the inside of their suite yet, as soon as they got to the hotel, BTR and DE raced off to the beach.

So, sorry if that was confusing.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	4. Secrets (PART 2)

**.:Chapter 04:.**

* * *

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." ~Colin Powell

* * *

"Try not to drip water and sand everywhere," Mrs. Knight called as soon as she heard the door to the suite open. "Dinner's gonna be ready in a couple of minutes," she added as Big Time Rush and the DarkElements all trooped through the front door of the suite. She smiled at their stunned gasps, getting a good look around. "Why don't you all choose your rooms while you wait."

"Sure thing, Mom," Kendall agreed, draping his towel across his shoulders. He glanced into the den and saw Katie and Ronan sitting on the couch, attentively watching TV. Giving them a funny look, he walked over and laughed when he saw that the two of them were watching Homeland. "That's probably the quietest I've ever seen them."

"Just wait until we're watching Hitchcock movies," Patrick commented, grabbing onto his suitcase. "Only times that you can't even get him to blink." He shrugged and shook his head. "And they're not even that good."

"Liar!" Ronan said.

Patrick raised an eyebrow as if to say 'you see?' as the others laughed.

"There are five rooms, including the ones that Ronan and I have," Mrs. Knight explained. Using oven mitts, she picked up a pot from the stove in the kitchen and placed it on the counter. She pulled off the top of the pot, releasing steam into the air, before pulling off her oven mitts. "So you guys can pick which ones you want."

She barely got the words out of her mouth before Carlos had grabbed his suitcase and was charging out of the main area back towards the bedrooms, running as fast as he could go. A few minutes later, his voice came wafting out of one of the rooms.

"I choose this room!"

"Well, you should take that one too, James, you're the only one that can deal with sharing a room with Carlos," Mrs. Knight said, patting the taller teenager on the shoulder.

Smiling, James turned to address Mrs. Knight. "He makes the mistake of trying it make his own bunk beds once and he's branded for life." James picked up his backpack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing the handle of his suitcase and extending it to its full length. He walked into the room that he and Carlos were going to share and tossed his bag onto the bed before taking a good look around.

The suite that they had checked into had been upgraded to a penthouse suite, giving enough rooms for everyone to stay in. James's and Carlos's room seemed to be even bigger than the rooms they had at the crib back in Los Angeles. But what James liked the most was the large bay windows in his room. The view of the beach from their room would be spectacular in the daylight, they were that close. James's eyes scanned the rest of the room. Decorated in mostly whites, light browns, and greens, it was even better than he could imagine. It just screamed paradise; there were bamboo desks, wicker chairs, the beds were even made from palm trees and the rugs on the floor had been woven from leaves, grass, and branches from around the island as well. There was even a vase of flowers on each bedside table that could be found in the island's forestation.

"I'm going to love it here!" James declared. He took a running start and jumped onto his bed, doing a flip in the air, so that he landed on his back. "I don't ever want to go back."

"You don't want to continue with Big Time Rush?" Carlos looked at him over the top of his open suitcase. His brown doe-like eyes were trained into James's.

"No, I still want to do that," James said honestly. "But maybe we can convince Gustavo to move Rocque Records out here. It'd be the perfect place." James crossed his arms behind his head. "And maybe the relaxing atmosphere will get Gustavo to fucking chill for once."

"The words Gustavo and chill are oxymorons," Carlos pointed out. He pulled out one of the video cameras and started to move it around the room. "But it _would _be pretty sweet if we could permanently live here." He swung the camera back around to James, who grinned and flashed the peace sign. "Just think, if it weren't for Big Time Rush, we wouldn't be here in the first place."

"You mean if it weren't for Kendall," James said. At Carlos's confused look, he clammed up. _He was the one that got us out to LA in the first place and now he's the one that got us out to Hawaii. Is there anything he can't do? _James moved his gaze back to Carlos. "Forget I said anything, it's stupid."

"What's stupid?" James tilted his head back to see Sydney walking into the room. The younger pointed over his shoulder. "Dinner's ready, we're having spaghetti." Carlos let out a whoop and turned off the video camera before racing out of the room. Sydney turned back to James. "What's stupid?"

"Nothing." James sat up and flipped his hair out of his face. "Nothing at all."

"If I actually believed that I wouldn't be standing here, boofhead," Sydney remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't have said nothing was stupid if something wasn't stupid." He walked over to James and looked up at him. "What is it?"

"You know for a ten year old boy, you can be very stubborn," James remarked.

Sydney smirked. "I'm glad you're noticing it now; mate, because it'll only get worse for you."

"I can't imagine." James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He let out a heavy sigh before turning towards the younger boy. "Is it sad that I'm still pretty pissed at Gustavo for wanting to have Kendall as his singer instead of me?" Sydney's eyebrows rose. "I understand that we wouldn't be where we are if Kendall didn't defend me at the audition and if he wasn't the one that convinced Gustavo to take us to LA to take a chance on us." He shook his head. "But it wasn't _his _dream at all. It was mine."

"Mhm." Sydney nodded for him to continue.

"And…it's so frustrating because ever since then…it's always Kendall that gets us out of whatever problem we have, as if we're not supposed to be around. As if we're only supposed to be his backup dancers. He's the only one that Gustavo wanted in the first place, so why are we with him?"

"Because he sees your talent," Sydney replied. "He may not say it, but he sees it and so do we." He placed a hand on his chest. "Do you really think that my brothers, sisters, and I would have used so much of our time to help you lot if we didn't see your talent? If we thought that only Kendall could do it, we wouldn't have even bothered!"

"Why?" James was scared to look at Sydney, in case he saw pity in his face. He didn't want pity, he just wanted to e able to get it off of his chest.

"Because we wouldn't want to waste your guys' time bringing you out here and shutting the proverbial door in your face. We would have gone right up to Gustavo and called him out on being a jerk, making it seem like he would have been able to help all of you if he was just going to end up only signing Kendall and dropping you three." Sydney crossed his arms over his chest. "The four of you are only at your best when you're together because you feed off of each other's energy. Carlos has a lot of energy, but he needs your guys' direction to help him. Logan gets his confidence off of you other three. You have raw talent and the drive to want it, but you only feel comfortable when you're with the other guys.

"And, don't tell Kendall I said this, but he's an arrogant asshole sometimes. He's been told by Gustavo that he had everything that he needs to be a famous singer or performer or whatever, so he'll constantly talk back to Gustavo whenever he thinks that something isn't going his way. But not everything can go your way in the music industry, you have to work hard and you can't have everything given to you on a silver platter or in the easy way out that he sometimes seems to think that you guys deserve with little to no work or setbacks."

James gave a half smile. He had thought about it once or twice, but he was never going to say it out loud. It wasn't worth the aggravation, not when he knew that it would just cause a huge argument. There was too much that could be said and too many things that could go wrong.

"But seriously, JD, you were meant to be out here," Sydney reassured him. "If you weren't, then this whole opportunity wouldn't have happened. He gave a small smile, one of his dimples appearing in his cheek. "And we wouldn't have become friends."

"Yeah." James grinned and gave Sydney a high-five.

"But keeping something like this bottled up…if you don't talk to him about it soon, it's not going to do anything but blow up in your face later." Sydney turned on his heel. "Trust me on that."

_Right. _James followed Sydney out of the room and sat down with everyone for dinner. Jet lag, Paddle boarding, and snorkling took a lot out of them, as soon as they finished dinner, they took their showers and went straight to sleep.

* * *

"Can I go cliff diving with you guys today?" Katie asked, poking at the eggs that were on her plate. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, looking around the suite as she did so. She grinned to herself as she thought about all of the things that she could take from the hotel and from the guys and sell to their fans once they heard about their trip to Hawaii. The news was bound to get out soon and she was going to get a good headstart jump on it.

"What happened to wanting to take over Hawaii one island at a time?" Kendall asked with a teasing smile before he lifted his orange juice to his mouth to take a large gulp. "Those were your exact words, weren't they?"

"Yeah," Katie pouted a little. "But _island _is the key word." She sat up straight in her chair. "I mean, I figure it'd be easy, but then I have to take into account the money I would have to spend to get sea planes and to take boats or ferries to the _other _islands."

"And that's a problem?" Logan asked. He was in the den room of their suite, opening the windows so the warm, salty breeze would waft around them.

"Yes, I need to _make_ money, not spend a _lot_ of it," Katie replied. "So, again, can I go cliff diving with you guys?"

"I don't know," James hesitated, crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, it might be too dangerous for you." He exchanged a look with Carlos, causing the latino to smile and laugh quietly as he finished his own breakfast.

"Being around four teenage boys that are so _stupid_ is dangerous for me," Katie shot back, sticking her tongue out at James. "But come on! I've done so many other dangerous things that you guys wouldn't dream of and I'm perfectly fine."

"Oh yeah?" Kendall's eyes narrowed as he leaned across the table, staring hard at his sister. Worry and protectiveness was evident in his face, though his tone held a massive amount of suspicion. "Like what? I'm guessing that more than half of it is illegal since you're so young."

"Poor Kendall," Katie reached out and patted his hand. "Poor, sweet, naïve, Big Brother." She slowly smiled. "You don't have to worry about things being illegal if you have the money for it. And I've had the money for it since I was, like, five."

"That's true," Logan snorted as he walked back over to the table and sat down in an empty chair, resting the heels of his feet on top and leaning back in his chair. "Remember that time that she tricked us out of our Christmas money because she said that she was going to invest it in a needy kid's future?"

"I was a kid, I was needy, and it was invested in my future," Katie smirked. She then clasped her hands together. "_Please_ can I go with you? Mom and Ronan are asleep and I'm tired of being by myself in the suite. I never get to do anything fun."

"Why not?" Kendall shrugged. "It's not like we're not going to watch her. I don't think leaving her here by herself is a good idea. She might run up the hotel bill." He thought for a moment. "You can go just as long as you don't try to swindle us out of any money, have any hair brained schemes to trick anyone else, and if you listen to what I say." He held out his hand. "Deal?"

"Yes!" Katie punched the air with her fists. "Deal!" She leaned forward and grabbed Kendall's hand. "You're the best big brother, _ever_!"

"Yeah, yeah, just go and get ready, we're going to meet the Jacksons soon."

"Can you believe that they're on vacation and they still get up before the crack of dawn?" Carlos shook his head. "Even I know that having that sense of discipline makes you a young adult, not a teenagers. Teenagers are supposed to sleep in!"

"You're forgetting, Carlos, they haven't really been kids in a while," Logan pointed out quietly. Carlos nodded, sobering quickly. Sensing the shift of tension in the air, and not wanting the idea of their abuse to damper things again, Logan quickly tried a more upbeat approach. "I mean, that's what we brought them out here for right? To have fun?"

"Right!" Carlos agreed.

Kendall got up from his seat and took his dishes to the sink. He laid them down into the sink and ran the water until they were covered before turning the water off. "Someone remind me to clear these when we get back."

"No problem." Logan pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through a list that he had made up. "So we're going cliff diving today and then sight-seeing tomorrow." He closed his phone and smiled. "That'll give us just enough time to get some work done on our songwriting or what we want our image to look like on our next CD."

"As much fun as that usually is," James raised his right eyebrow. "Why would I waste perfectly good vacation time on that?"

"Because Gustavo said that we had to," Logan replied. "It was one of the things that he said we had to do or else he wouldn't let us go. And I'm _not_ going to do it all myself this time."

Kendall laughed as he watched the two of them fight with each other. He wondered if Logan really expected them to do what Gustavo told them to do. They hadn't done that since they first met him, so why start now? It was time for them to have a vacation and while they were technically working too, they really deserved this vacation. They didn't do anything special for thanksgiving, they didn't get to go home for Christmas, their birthdays weren't as big a deal as they used to be (though Kendall was sure it was because the fact that they had more money now, they could do practically whatever they wanted instead of being surprised as they used to be) and they had millions of fans all over the world that treated them like gods, while it was flattering, it was exhausting work.

They deserved this.

The door to the suite opened and the Jacksons trooped in, brushing sand off of their feet. "Are you guys ready to go?" Rhuben moved her sunglasses to the top of her head. "They don't have the area open for tourists much, and since we're a special case, we don't want to leave the lifeguards waiting."

"Almost," James replied. "We're waiting for Katie before we go."

"Oh, she's coming with?" Riley's eyebrows rose.

"D'you mind?" Kendall asked. He gave her a meaningful glance before shrugging sheepishly. "I mean, I don't think you would, but she said that she didn't want to be stuck in the apartment all alone again."

"Pssht, the more the merrier," Patrick waved a hand. "I didn't think that she would want to get stuck with Ronan and Mama Knight looking over fancy knick-knacks to take back anyway." He shrugged. "Plus, once you get over how big the rooms are, there's not much that entertains you here other than actually being out in the surf and sand."

"I'm ready to go," Katie said, hurrying out of hers and Mrs. Knight's room. "I've never done this before; it's going to be so awesome! Plus," she pulled a digital camera out of her draw-string bag. "If I take pictures of you guys, I can sell them on the internet."

"Not unless we don't like the pictures," Kendall said quickly, knowing that fighting with her would be inevitable and that it wouldn't be worth it. "Those you throw out, but the ones that we say you can sell, then you can sell."

"Got it." Katie gave a thumbs up.

"Let's get the show on the road!" Patrick punched the air with his fist as he grinned. "Woohoo!"

* * *

"Wow," Rhuben breathed, tying her hair back into a ponytail before stepping up to the edge of the cliff. Her grin widened as she turned back to her friends. "This is going to be sweet!" She raised her hand and gave Carlos and James a high-five.

"I know," Kendall agreed, his green eyes flashing. "I can't wait until we can start jumping." He looked down and watched as a wave crashed against the rocks, sending foam and spray flying all over the place.

Noah wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt even though. He glanced over the edge and saw the ocean's waves crashing at the rocks, maybe 80 feet below. He wasn't afraid of a lot of things; losing his brothers and sisters, not having someone care for him, being alone in general. But the one thing that he had never told anyone in his entire life was that he was afraid of heights.

Carlos, in his excitement once they had finally arrived at the jumping site, had beaten everyone to the top and was now going over safety precautions in case anyone needed saving when they hit the water. He was spitting out numerous safety procedures, but Noah was hardly listening.

"Is everybody ready?" Carlos asked eagerly, his dark eyes wild with excitement.

"I can't do this," Noah said.

"Don't worry buddy," Patrick said from Noah's side. "I'll be right there next to you."

"Yeah, that's a comfort," Noah said sarcastically, taking a step back. He shook his head. "You guys go on ahead of me."

"It's not that scary," Katie said as she moved to the edge of the cliff. She looked down and then took a step back. "Ok, maybe a little, but it'll only take a second. Right?" She looked at Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James, who nodded back.

"Just make sure that when you jump, if you go feet first, that you don't angle yourself in a specific position so that the water goes up your rectum and causes your intestines to explode." Sydney smiled. "Just avoid that and you'll be fine."

"Little Man," Riley waved a hand and he moved over to her. She looked down at him, suddenly noticing that he had grown so he was a few inches taller than where her shoulder was. "I don't think that was very helpful." She said in a stage-whisper.

"I was just letting him know," Sydney stage-whispered back. "It's better safe than sorry."

"Ok how about you watch me and Katie jump first, and then you can try?" Kendall suggested. He turned to Katie and held out his hand. "Just to make sure that you don't freak out on the first go." He said, noticing her pointed stare. Katie looked at her brother's hand and then down at the water one more time before taking his hand in hers. "On '3', ok?"

"Ok!" Katie tightened her grip on Kendall's hand.

"1…2…3!"

She and Kendall leaped through the air. Katie relished the feel of the wind rushing past her face. Then she burst through the water and the dull splash filled her ears just before she was underwater.

"Oh my god!" Katie cried as soon as she came up for air. "That was so cool!" She splashed over to Kendall, who was treading water beside her. "We have to do that again!"

"We're going to have to climb back to the top, first." Kendall reminded her, leaning to the side and taking off in the water. Katie eagerly hurried after him.

"See?" Carlos pointed down to Kendall and Katie as they moved out of the way. "It's really fun." He turned to Noah. "C'mon Mouse, you can do it."

Noah gave a half-smile at the nickname. Usually he would be annoyed if anyone ever called him that. But the fact that he had gotten the nickname from his _friends_ and not people that were actually trying to hurt him, he was fine.

"I'll jump with you, No," Rhuben offered. "And Riles can go with Pat and Syd in case he's scared."

"I'm _not_ scared!" Sydney boasted.

"I don't know," Noah hesitated.

"Ok then I'll go next," Riley said. She moved over to the edge of the cliff, putting one foot against the side. She then hesitated and looked back over at Carlos. "Uh, do ya mind?" She asked with a sheepish smile. "Just in case I knock myself out or land wrong or something," she added quickly, as if trying to save face.

"No problem," Carlos grinned and moved up to her side. "Anyone else coming along?"

"Me!" Sydney scurried over to Carlos's other side, the smile on his face the biggest that Carlos had ever seen on the young boy. He turned back to the others. "You coming?" He asked.

"You can go ahead," Noah muttered.

"No, I'm going to wait." Patrick said firmly.

"I'll wait too," James agreed.

Rhuben hesitated for another moment before giving Noah a hug. "I know that you can do this, bro," she said to him before moving alongside Carlos, Riley, and Sydney. After a minute, they stepped forward and leapt from the edge of the cliff and suddenly they were in the water.

Opening his eyes, Carlos saw different colored fish darting around and trying to avoid him. He floated for a few moments, staring in awe at the beautiful underwater scene, and then swam upwards to the surface for air.

"Woo!" Carlos shouted, raising his hands above his head, mimicking Patrick from earlier. "God, I'm going to become _addicted _to this!"

"Come on," Sydney was already swimming back to the beach area that was tucked behind the cliff, to go back up again. "Let's all jump together this time."

As the four of them climbed back to the top of the cliff, Kendall and Katie had already reached their friends. Noah was still hesitant on jumping, lightly digging his toes into the soft ground.

"We're not letting you back out now," James said kindly, putting his hand on Noah's shoulder. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." He made a face and turned to Kendall. "God, now I'm starting to _sound_ like you."

Kendall laughed.

_I'm not a quitter_, Noah walked over to the edge. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and, before he could let it out, James had grabbed a hold of his hand and jumped, pulling him along with him. Patrick had noticed James's intentions and gave Noah a light shove as well before jumping after them. Noah wanted to scream, whether out of terror or excitement, he wasn't sure. It was an unbelievable and indescribable adrenalin rush as the wind whistled past his ears.

They hit the water hard seconds later.

"Woo, go Noah!"

"Nice job, dude!"

He could hear Kendall and Katie cheering from the top of the cliff as he moved his hair out of his face. Noah grinned before James moved over to him, pushing his head under water as he laughed loudly. Patrick then splashed him in the face when he came up again. As usual, he felt serene in the salty water.

"I knew you could do it," James clapped Noah on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, buddy." Patrick added.

"Yeah, yeah," Noah blushed a little as he treaded water. "You don't have to be so mushy about it." He started to swim away from them, wanting to jump again.

* * *

"Here's a good spot!"

Camille Roberts and Stephanie King walked over to a empty patio table and pulled out the chairs, sitting down with their cups of coffee. Camille draped her purse on the back of her chair before she turned to pick up her cup. She took a sip and smiled before replacing it on the table. "Can you believe that the guys are going on their second tour already? Their first one all over the world, too!"

"I know," Stephanie agreed. Brushing her hair back behind her shoulders, she looked around the café. There were patrons of all ages sitting around her, talking to each other, laughing, reading the newspaper. The sun was shining in only the way that it could in Los Angeles; bathing everything in a golden glow that made you feel like anything was possible. "It's all moving so fast for them. I mean, they only just put out their second album and now they're going on a worldwide tour." She shook her head. "Things really move fast around here."

Things did have a habit of moving fast in LA, but only if you were the one that opted to work hard. Camille had found it to work in a different way for her. As she was working in movies and TV shows, she didn't seem to be getting the recognition that she thought she deserved. Just about every role she went out for, she didn't get. Knowing that James had gotten the part on _Witches of Rodeo Drive _and turning it down didn't help her crushed feelings. Someone that had just come to LA, who wasn't even working to become an actor, had bypassed her in a matter of seconds.

Jo was in New Zealand working on her films, she had even come in after Camille and Stephanie, who came to LA after Jo, was starting to get recognition in film festivals for her no-budget horror film that she had created, scaring the residents of the PalmWoods to death. Was there something wrong with her? She would bet a million dollars that there wasn't, but it had to mean something that she couldn't get a job to save her life. If it wasn't' for Big Time Rush, she wouldn't still be in LA, her father would have taken her out of the PalmWoods and moved them back to Connecticut.

How ironic was it that she was the one that talked about living your dream and being a method actress and she couldn't even get herself a job?

"They're lucky to be in Hawaii right now," Stephanie broke Camille out of her thoughts. "Being able to go on such a extravagant vacation before they go off on the tour, which, according to them, is like another vacation."

"I guess," Camille agreed.

Stephanie studied her friend carefully. She knew what the problem was. "Don't tell me that you're worried about Logan and Rhubes."

Camille flushed, shrugging. It was a terrible though, but she couldn't help it. Logan was the one thing that…she couldn't describe. He was her first boyfriend and she liked him a lot, but they were constantly dating on and off for little things that even she couldn't understand why. The last time they had broken up, it was because she had kissed James, she understood that. She was sorry for it, she was devastated, but he still broke up with her. Then he started to go out with Rhuben…and that made her feel even weirder about it. He could go out with whomever he wanted…but she didn't want him to go out with whomever he wanted.

If there was a better word than complicated, she would use that to explain the situation.

"Camille, that's-"

"I know! I know!" Camille tightened her grip on her coffee mug. Dejectedly, she stared down at the steam that slowly curled its way out of the spout in the top. "It's stupid. Probably the dumbest thing that I could ever think. I'm being really selfish."

Stephanie instantly felt bad. "No, you're not selfish, you just…" she grimaced. "Ok, maybe it's a bit selfish, but I think I know how you feel. I'd probably be the same way if I was on and off with Carlos and he was interested in someone else and started dating them too."

"Does it make me a jerk if I think that the only reason they went out was to get back at me?" Camille immediately looked away from Stephanie's shocked face. How could she sit there and accuse one of her best friends of dating someone who had been Logan's own childhood best friend, just to get back at her. Yeah, she was jealous. There was no questioning it. In her world, everything was green where Logan was concerned.

"A jerk, maybe," Stephanie admitted. "A bad friend…no." She shook her head. Her long brown tresses fell over her shoulders, her face scrunched up. She drummed her fingers on the side of her coffee cup. "It's weird Camille, Logan's your friend and Rhuben's your friend. You want them to be happy just as much as they want you to be happy. I mean, she broke up with him for you."

Camille cringed.

To be reminded of that…to be reminded of the look in her friend's eyes when she told her the news…

"I'm just trying to help you see both sides of the situation," Stephanie said quickly. She reached out and grabbed onto Camille's hand, gently squeezing it in hers. "I'm not saying that anyone is right or wrong, I'm just saying that there are some things that are screwed up."

"Yeah…"

Camille continued to play with her Styrofoam cup, spinning it in a circle between her hands. Maybe her dad was right in being a bit worried about her, after having seen her tackle Logan to the ground so many times. If she didn't know how to control herself around her boyfriend, how could she control herself when she was really upset.

"Maybe you should call Jo," Stephanie suggested. "Ask her, her opinion. Besides, we haven't talked to her in a while."

She lifted her coffee and took a long sip before setting her cup aside. Leaning back in her seat, the sunlight caught her face. With her expressive hazel eyes, her skin a mixture of light and dark, and her long dark hair, it was a wonder that Carlos had managed to snag her as a girlfriend. Add in that she was a tomboy that had a calm personality but was also easily excited, she was a perfect fit among their group of friends. She was a good friend to have and at that moment, Camille was grateful that she was still around.

Jo had been gone for a long time and the longer she worked on her movie, the less she talked to anyone. She and Camille had been inseparable when she was still around. They went to the movies, had sleepovers, painted each other's nails, and went shopping together. They even got boyfriends in the same band. It was so easy for them to be friends, and when Stephanie came in, she was also an easy addition. But suffice to say, Jo and Camille were always closer and Stephanie, in turn, had grown closer to Riley and Rhuben.

And now that Jo was gone…

What happened?

Stephanie noted Camille's hesitation with a relaxed air. "Is there any reason that you don't want to call Jo?"

"Because she's probably asleep," Camille tried.

"So? No one can figure out the time difference and you have long nights on set sometimes, you told me yourself." Stephanie gathered her hair up in a ponytail and dropped it behind her shoulders. Inclining her head, she gave Camille a peaceful smile. "'Mille, you're not a bad friend or a band person because of the way that you're feeling. You're confused, that's ok." She snorted. "I'm confused almost every time Carlos and I have a conversation, but communication is the key. You need to talk to someone as I don't seem to be helping you much."

"Oh!" Camille gave a genuine smile. The first all day. "I'm sorry, Steph. We came out to The Grove to have a good time and I've ruined the mood."

"Don't worry about it, I was the one that pushed you into talking," Stephanie reminded her. She grinned as she picked up her coffee and shook it back and forth. "Plus, the free coffee and the lunch that you're going to buy for me will make up for it." She and Camille laughed.

Camille twisted around and grabbed onto her purse. She unzipped it and pulled out her phone, being careful not to snap off the rhinestones that she had glued o the back for decoration. Scrolling through her contacts, she forced herself to roll over the name _Boyfriend _to find _BFF_ and pushed the 'SEND' button. She moved it into speakerphone and waited as the phone rang.

Stephanie crossed her legs, studying Camille as they waited. She had never seen Camille look so happy yet so defeated at the same time. All because she still had feelings for a guy that was out on vacation with someone that he had dated before. _I wonder how she's going to act when they go off on tour again. I understand that Camille can be jealous sometimes, but of one of her best friends…even after Rhu had broken up with him? I don't think that's all that's going on._

"Hello?"

"Jo! Hey!" Camille immediately perked up. "Hey. How are you? Steph's here too."

"Hey." Stephanie leaned forward so she could be heard as well.

"Oh, hey guys!" Jo sounded glad to be able to hear from them. "I'm sorry I haven't called in a while, I've been so busy. Hold on." There was the sound of a muffled voice over the phone and then shuffling. There was the sound of a door closing and Jo's voice was clearer. "Sorry, I was on set; we're starting up a new shot in a minute. But enough about me how are you guys how is everyone?"

"Great." Stephanie smiled. "Camille just bought me coffee."

"Wow, really?" Jo laughed. "She never bought me anything."

"That's because I threatened her."

"Haha." Camille pushed Stephanie's head away from the phone. "Actually. I owed her a favor after she ran lines with me for the past week. I think Mr. King was even starting to forget what she looked like since I had her over at my place so long."

"But I did the same thing, how come you never offered to buy me coffee?"

"Because I didn't offer, she told me to. Things are good around here, we're getting some stuff done. A lot has been happening since you left. The guys finished their album, they got a interview spot on TV, and now they're in Hawaii with the Jacksons before they go off on their _All Over The World _tour," Camille relayed.

There was a slight pause. "Wow. Hawaii _and_ a tour? Sounds fun!"

"Yeah, they went somehow convinced Gustavo to let them go to Hawaii to shoot their music video for the song _Windows Down _and they brought the Jacksons along because-"

"I can guess," Jo interrupted. She let out a short sigh. "How are all of them doing? I haven't talked to them in a bit either."

"They're doing…better," Stephanie said slowly. She couldn't every well say that they were doing great or amazing because they weren't. Their abuse had spanned so many years that there were still times where she wondered if they were even friends. "Of course it's going to take a while for them to be back to 100%, whatever that is. But the guys thought it'd be a good idea if they got away from LA for a while and took them with them."

"That's good. I'm happy for them." She paused. "So why do I get the feeling that this isn't the only reason that you called? She suddenly let out a squeal. "Or is there some couple you want to give me an update on? Hmm? How are things going with Carlos, Steph?"

Stephanie laughed at the sudden change of subject. "Fine, Jo, you don't need to use your love mojo on anything." She brushed her hair behind her ears. "In fact, we said that we'd call once a day while he's gone."

"That didn't stop all of the ScuttleButters so far," Camille pointed out, causing all of the girls to giggle. "So, any cute boys over in New Zealand?"

"Yes!" Jo practically shouted. "Everywhere I look. My co-star isn't bad looking either; unfortunately we have that stupid rule of not dating a co-worker." There was the sound of a mocking sigh. "The marketing team thinks that it'll be better if for promotion we were some of the only franchises out there that _doesn't_ make it seem like the two co-stars are together."

"I can see that working from a production standpoint," Stephanie agreed. "You don't have to worry about feelings getting in the way and halting the whole thing if they break up." She smiled. "It's probably what I'm going to do when I become a famous director."

"And have Carlos around as your personal assistant?" Jo teased.

"If I have to."

The girls laughed again. "Oh, I have to get going," Jo said after a second."I'm being called back to set." She sighed. "The long hours along with not remembering the different customs of New Zealand are going to kill me." She giggled. "Bye guys."

"Bye."

Stephanie reached out and poked a finger into Camille's cheek. "Look who's smiiiiiliiiiing," she said.

Camille laughed and batted Stephanie's hand away from her. Her best friends always knew what to do to make her feel better, if only for the moment.

* * *

**A/N:** If you didn't get it, the ScuttleButter thing Camille was talking about was a reference to Carlos being very open with his relationships in real life. I know these first ones seemed like nothing realy happened, especially since they were direct continuations of each other and not much time has passed by. But they were all important; no chapter is a filler in this story.

Hm, part of me is wondering why I decided to show them in Hawaii and Australia when I feel like it's slowing down the pace of the story/timeline. But at the same time, a lot of important things happen during that time so its needed. The next chapter will be up soon and even more drama is coming up in the next chapter, I can't wait for you guys to see it.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	5. Worry (PART 3)

**.:Chapter 05:.**

* * *

"Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble." ~George Washington

* * *

Kelly let out a content sigh, feeling her worries and stress melt away.

Stretching her arms out in front of her, she allowed her back muscles to relax, before resting them behind her head. She angled her head towards the sunlight, flipping her sunglasses over her face. She stretched her cocoa brown legs out on the pool chair and rested her heels in between the plastic slats, extending her legs as far as she could. The sound of the water gently lapping at the edge of the pool played a little melody in the background.

It was all she needed to be able to relax.

Relax.

She didn't know what the definition of the word, hadn't recognized it for what it really meant. Nowadays, her meaning of the word was a day where she got two hours to herself, while everything else was crammed full with meetings and recording and studio writing and castings and scoutings and watching Gustavo like a hawk. A lot of people thought that the Big Time Rush boys were a lot to handle, but Gustavo was even worse.

Who else had to make sure that a grown man didn't get put into jail for smashing another mailbox? Or didn't get blacklisted for every other hotel in LA or any of the surrounding states? She was also the one that did all of the scheduling for him and Big Time Rush, with Mrs. Knight's help for the boys. She scouted locations for their music videos, photo shoots, and the commercials they were in, she was the one that scouted for the guys and girls that would be posing or working with them, she was the one that went to all of the news outlets and TV channels, networking the best she could so Gustavo and the guys could get the most out of their band and everything that they worked for.

And that was only part of her day; that didn't include handling Griffin, or talking to the Big Time Rush moms about their progress with the band or how their grades were and if that affected them being in the band. It didn't hold a candle to the money that she budgeted for Rocque Records-not including the money she had given to Bitters and Griffin for the countless things the guys had broken-or the PR work that she did for all of them. That was before she even got home and worked on herself.

No one understood what she had to go through just being Gustavo's assistant-or partner depending on who you asked-and she wouldn't trade it for the world. Sure, there were some complaints here and there, but it was the best job that she ever had. The guys were funny and always made her laugh, she was now seeing a more compassionate side to Gustavo, which she hadn't seen in years, and things were going great for the boys. She had seen something in them when they all came barreling into the Paramount the last day of their auditions to find the new person that Griffin was supporting Gustavo on.

They had a different look and the desperation on their faces when they came barreling through the doors was palpable. She had seen talent in James when he was singing for Gustavo and saw it in Kendall as well. Logan and Carlos were a bit…different, but there was no question in her mind that there was something different about all of them together as whenever she saw Kendall, the other three boys were with him.

But they were all away from her now and it was all that she could ask her.

"I better get some reading done before the sky blows up or something…" Laughing to herself, Kelly reached down and grabbed her magazine, bringing it up to her face. She used her free hand to grab a black marker and started to circle the items that she was thinking of getting. This skirt here. That blouse there.

Would that bikini really fit her body shape…?

Her sense of serenity was destroyed with the short bleating of her ringtone going off. She didn't have to look at the caller ID to know what it was. She had her ringtone especially set for it. Beethoven's Fifth, the clichéd doom song. Sighing, Kelly put down her marker and picked up the phone.

She pressed it to her ear. "What, Gustavo?"

"Am I interrupting you or something?" The tone in Gustavo's voice let Kelly know that he didn't understand what he could have done wrong to annoy her. He had only picked up the phone and called her. Where was the harm in that?

"Uh. Yeah!" Kelly pursed her lips. "Didn't I tell you to not call me until a week was up?"

"Whatever, Kelly, we have some things that we need to talk about," Gustavo said. Kelly frowned. He didn't sound happy or sad, just sort of neutral. "About the boys and their tour and the future or the band and everything."

"What do you mean about the future of the band?" Kelly slowly sat up. "They still have another year, maybe two tops."

"Yeah, but you never know what's going to happen," Gustavo reminded her. "Griffin could change his mind, he might bring in another band onto Rocque Records that they want us to work with…remember Kat's Krew?"

Kelly did remember. That almost was a disaster. Kat's Krew and Big Time Rush couldn't get along because Kat continued to harass the boys, teased them, saying that she and her girls were going to drive Big Time Rush out of Rocque Records. And the boys had fallen into the trap. If it wasn't for them burying the hatchet and doing their own song together, she wasn't sure how things would have turned out. It ended up being a waste, though, as Kat ended up going over to Colossal Records instead and her career never took off the ground.

It was sad, but that was show business.

"You don't think that Big Time Rush is going to fall to the wayside or something stupid like that do you?" Kelly ran a hand through her long hair. "I mean, they're one of the most popular boy band out there right now. They _brought back _the boy band. I mean"-she started to chew her thumbnail-"yeah, I can see how they aren't really being taken seriously, but _Elevate _just came out and some reviews are just starting to come in and we'll know about their certification soon. So why are you freaking out?"

"When can we meet?" Gustavo sounded tired.

Kelly dropped her hand to her lap, closing her eyes behind her sunglasses. A throbbing pain started to attack her temples. She rubbed them away with her fingers before bringing the phone back to her ear. "Ok, Gustavo, I'm on my way to Rocque Records." She ended the call and let out another sigh as she pouted at the pool.

Her spa day was going to have to wait.

Kelly gathered her things and headed into the apartment building and into her apartment. Once inside, she changed out of her bikini and into a pair of jeans a nice looking blouse. She wasn't working that day; she didn't have to dress professionally. Once she had her phone and purse, she grabbed her car keys and got into her convertible and started the drive to Rocque Records.

A million thoughts ran through her head and about three different scenarios played out as she navigated through LA traffic to get there. Most of all, it came back to the question 'what'? What could it be that was causing Gustavo to take time away from their own vacation to worry about the boys? He specifically sent the boys away with their friends for that very reason.

_This is Gustavo we're talking about, he acts like he can't stand the boys, but we all know that he really does care for them. _Kelly turned into the Rocque Records parking lot and spotted Gustavo waiting for her by the front doors. As she climbed out of the car and started towards him, she could see that he looked…not like himself.

He wasn't angry or stressed, he was just there. She wouldn't say calm, because she could never go that far to describe Gustavo, not when his doctors were constantly worrying about his blood pressure. But it was the most serene she had ever seen him in his entire life.

"What's going on Gustavo?"

"C'mon." Gustavo waved a hand before leading the way into Rocque Records, unlocking the doors as he went.

Kelly followed him.

It was kind of eerie to notice how quiet it really could be in the studio. When the guys weren't there causing some sort of havoc in some way, it was scary. They were the only ones that were signed to Rocque Records at the moment and they were the ones that were proving to Gustavo and Griffin and Rocque Records could handle more people on their label.

Now that they weren't there and everyone in Rocque Records was getting some time off, it made her realize how much she got used to the noise that accompanied the boys wherever they went. Whether it was cheers of excitement, screams of fury, or just trying to talk over each other, wherever Big Time Rush was, noise would follow.

"Alright…" Gustavo sat down in the chair behind his desk and rested his hands on his stomach. "We need to talk about the future of Big Time Rush starting with this upcoming tour."

"What about it?" Kelly brushed her long, dark hair over her shoulders.

"Ronan called and told me that the DarkElements are going back to Australia after their trip in Hawaii is over," Gustavo explained. Kelly's eyebrows rose. This was the first that she was hearing about it. "Yeah, I had the same reaction."

"Why did he wait so long to tell us what was going to happen with that?" Kelly dug her nails into her palms. "It's only going to make things harder for us. For booking and hotelss and finding bands to open for them…"

"I've talk to him about that as well." Gustavo sounded eerily calm; it was as off putting as the silence in Rocque Records. "And I think it's for a good reason. He wants them to take a year off of recording new music so they can come to terms with and start to get help with the abuse they went through." Kelly nodded. "So what he has planned to do is that they're going to take the year off and they're going to announce their abuse to the world."

"What does that have to do with Big Time Rush?" Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"Everything!" Gustavo's mask slipped. He was staring to yell, but it didn't seem that he was angry. "Robert started them working with us under the idea that they were going to be rivals, but they're not. Not in any way, shape, or form. Yes, they're in two different genres or music, Big Time Rush doing pop and the DarkElements doing rock and any form underneath it. Ever since they started working together, under contract, it was obvious that they weren't going to be rivals no matter how hard Robert or the Jacksons tried."

Kelly nodded.

"Realizing that and figuring that Big Time Rush cared a lot about their friendship, the media outlets quickly picked up on that. Of course they care about which one of the girls the boys are going to end up with; there've been shipping wars about it ever since they started working together. And with that, everything they did affected the other. Each interview, each photo shoot, each appearance, what happened with the DarkElements would affect Big Time Rush and vice versa. When they went on their tours to promote _B.T.R. _and _The DarkElements _it was a big hit because the fans liked being able to see how bands that were supposed to be rivals and supporters of each other on tour together. Ever since then, they've gotten more opportunities to work together, even more so now that they're not under contract to do it.

"Do you know how annoying it was to see that the DarkElements signed out of their contracts but I still seem them around here helping out the guys when they get the chance? I didn't understand it, but then I realized it was because what they did with Big Time Rush helped them get better themselves. And they're already great!"

"Now knowing that the DarkElements aren't going to be touring with Big Time Rush on this tour, you're afraid that their album sales or their ticket sales are going to drop?" Kelly understood that. It made sense. But at the same time, it could help both bands if they didn't, and she explained her reasoning. "Seeing how the boys can do on their own, doing their own headlining tour with them that could be a good thing."

"It is," Gustavo said. That surprised Kelly and the look on her face definitely showed her surprised. She had never seen him so compassionate before. "It's good for both bands. I'm glad that they're working to get that bastard of a man out of their brains once and for all." Kelly smiled. That was it. Gustavo hated Robert as much as he hated Griffin, if not more. "I can't stand a guy that can call himself a man by laying a hand on his kids. So I'm glad that they're going to take the chance to get better, for themselves. And it's good that it gives Big Time Rush a chance to set themselves apart, to show the world who they really are."

"So you called me over here just to say that you were glad that we're not touring with the DarkElements?" Kelly threw her hands into the air. "If that was it, then I wasted a whole bunch of time coming over here!"

Gustavo reached out a hand and closed it tightly over Kelly's wrist, immediately capturing her attention. "What we need to do is we need to make sure that this is the best tour that the guys are going to go on. Any publicity that we can get them is good publicity. I've already sent a few photographers up to Hawaii for that reason and I've alerted Ronan and Kendall's mom about it so they don't get freaked out. It's a quick interview so the fans will know that they're in Hawaii and to anticipate the new song and video they're doing for it. But its Big Time Rush only, the DarkElements aren't going to be involved with this one, I don't want any relationship crap to get in the way of it."

Kelly smiled to herself. Like it was going to help or stop it in any way. Telling the guys not to go out with girls was like telling them not to breathe, it was going to happen. But she could understand the concern. There was a tiny bit of drama that they witnessed when Logan and Rhuben had started to go out and Kendall was nothing short of pathetic when he broke up with Jo. It seemed that James and Carlos were the only sane ones when it came to having girlfriends and dating in general. Having it be brought up in pictures or interviews when the main focus was to be on the boys and their music and their upcoming tour could be more problematic for both bands than anything else.

She knew about the 'shipping wars' between their fans, she even got some ScuttleButters if 'so and so' was really going out with 'so and so' or if 'so and so and so and so were really just friends'. It would have been funny if it wasn't the harsh reality that kids and teens cared more about who was dating whom than the music or what they were doing to help fans. She had worked in the industry long enough to see each of the bands they dealt with fall under the same trap.

It was whether or not they fought their way to prove that they were more than their relationships that made them last and she believed that Big Time Rush could do it.

"We also have to double check on the reservations that we have for the guys as well as being sure that each of our stops are in the best places that we can think of. Bigger venues, bigger audiences, more of a response for Big Time Rush." Gustavo started to flip through a few sheets of paper that were on his desk. "I want to prove to the world that these guys aren't just any other boy band." He gave her a blank look before starting to clear his throat.

Kelly smiled, knowing that a compliment was coming her way. Gustavo Rocque _never _complimented someone easily.

"And…I…uh….you know….you….uh…" Gustavo pulled at the collar of his t-shirt. Finally, he crossed his arms over his chest and sank even further in his chair. "And, I _guess_, I can't do any of it without you." He cleared his throat again, his eyes shifting. "So…will you help me or what?"

Kelly thought about it for a long moment. She could tell him 'no' that it was her vacation and that she deserved to have a lot of time to herself. The time that she hadn't had since she started working with Gustavo. That was years ago, when she was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college grad in search of an internship. The only different from her and other interns was that she never left her job. She was so good at not putting up with Gustavo's crap that he realized he needed someone like her at his side and she had been there ever since.

So how could she sit back and watch Gustavo do all of the work himself? Pretty easily, but she knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it properly if things fell apart.

Kelly took a breath and smiled. "Gustavo, you've had my help ever since I stepped through that door."

Her vacation was going to have to wait.

* * *

Rhuben raised a hand and pressed her finger to the scar that was etched into her eyebrow. She frowned as she looked at her reflection, her eyes immediately moving back to the scar. It was the result of a lamp being hurled at her head. She didn't get hit by the lamp, but the explosion caused the shards to go flying around and that one had caught her in the face, right when she was turning to shield Sydney from the blow.

Robert had been exceedingly angry that night, probably fueled by the drinks he had put down with his colleagues. He was never that angry of a man when he was sober, though there were some things that could set him off. The alcohol flooding his veins made it worse and the one comment that she had made, she didn't remember it now, caused him to grab the lamp and heave it at her head.

It was just as well that she didn't remember-she and her siblings had been used to many memories, good or bad, to be blocked out due to traumatic events-the scar was a bad enough reminder of what had gone on before. She remembered having to get stitches, making up a lie and saying that she had caught the ground at an odd angle when she and her siblings had been play fighting, which wasn't far from the truth as they did play fight a lot, but she could tell that the doctor didn't believe her.

They were good liars, but they couldn't fool everyone.

Rhuben opened a bottle of foundation and started to dab it into her eyebrow, masking the scar the best she could before moving it all over her face. She sat up, studying her reflection, pushing her strand of purple hair out of her eyes. A semi-hard expression stared back at her, one that she had gotten used to ages ago.

But…

There was some light in her eyes. Something that she hadn't seen in a long time. When did it get there? She never noticed it before.

"Why are you putting on makeup to talk to Logan?"

Rhuben blinked and turned away from her desk mirror to see Carlos sitting in the chair beside her, playing with the laces on his shoe. He had been so quiet that she didn't notice him come in. The calm look on his face let her know that he had been there for a while, just watching her. When she turned, he smiled warmly at her.

"What?" Resting her hands on the edge of the desk, Rhuben gently pushed herself back and forth, rocking on the chair's heels. She could hear the sound of the TV playing in the den accompanied by laughter.

"Why are you putting on make up to talk to Logan?" Carlos repeated. He rested his chin in his hands and leaned forward, peering up into her face. Rhuben shifted in her seat, a little uncomfortable under his continuous gaze. She was used to being the one that had a cold stare that made others uncomfortable, not the other way around. _Not that Carlos has a cold bone in his body. _The thought alone made Rhuben smiled a little.

It faded as his words sank into her brain. She was _not_ putting on makeup for anyone. Rhuben raised an eyebrow, turning back to the mirror. "I'm not putting on makeup for him." She looked at Carlos through the mirror. "And who said anything about going to talk to him? I thought we were going into town."

"He mentioned something about wanting to talk to you." As innocent as ever, Carlos shrugged.

Rhuben twisted her mouth to the side. "So if he wants to talk to me why does he just talk to me?"

"Because you dated," Carlos said as if that explained everything. And in a way, it did.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything."

Rhuben was about to ask him what he meant-knowing that Carlos sometimes needed a push for his explanations to make sense-but was distracted by a knock at the door. _Of course it would be Logan, _she thought as she turned to face him.

"Is everything ok?" Logan hesitantly took a step into the room. "I heard my name."

"Yep!" Carlos sat up straight. His wide eyes resembled that of a puppy's being eager to help. "I was just saying that you wanted to talk to Rhu. About you two dating and all that." He didn't seem to notice Logan's pained expression as he patted the bed next to him. "Sit down."

Rhuben turned in her seat as Logan walked over and sat down on the bed. "So you wanted to talk, Logie-Bear?" He let out a sigh, nodding. There was a brief moment of silence and Rhuben's eyes darted around the room before resting on him again. "It usually works if you open your mouth."

Logan smiled and laughed a little. "Thanks Bella, you really know how to make it easy." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess-"he paused, chewing his lower lip before taking a breath, finding his courage. "I guess what I first want to ask is-"

"Hold on." Rhuben held up a hand before turning to Carlos. "D'you mind?"

Carlos's smile never faded. "No."

Rhuben rolled her eyes, though she couldn't smile at Carlos being…Carlos and turned to Logan. She looked at her feet, curling her hands over the back of her chair before looking at him. He gave her a peaceful smile. "D'you wanna go for a walk…or something?" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Sure." Logan stood up.

Rhuben got up from the chair as well and the two started to walk out of the room. Carlos followed them. "By the way, Rhu," Carlos caught her attention as the two stopped by the door, pulling out their shoes from the pile that had been haphazardly thrown together. She looked at him curiously. Carlos beamed at her. "If it helps, I think you look amazing without a lot of makeup. You and Riles."

Rhuben blinked before giving a small smile. "Thanks CareBear." She surprised him by stepping forward and giving him a hug, which he enthusiastically returned. She then pulled on her shoes and followed Logan out of the suite and the two took the elevator down to the lobby and they went out the door.

With no clear destination in mind, they found themselves at the beach, staring to walk along. The waves crashed along the shore, casting a slightly foamy spray up the beach. The sky was covered in light clouds, but it didn't deter from the overwhelming sense of happiness that Hawaii gave. It was a nice change of pace. At first, she was hesitant about going along on the trip to Hawaii with the boys. Riley, in a way that showed that she and her twin really did have the same brain waves at times, voiced her worrying opinions as well.

What if they had a nightmare?

What if they had PTSD?

What if someone came up to them to ask her about it?

What if, what if, what if…

There were a lot of things that made them hesitant about initially going to Ronan and telling him that they talked Gustavo into letting the guys and they were invited to go along. Most of it had to do with not knowing how the guys would react if they saw what was really going on with them. They were able to do their best to hide their PTSD from their friends while in public, but at home, it was still something they had to deal with. Things were blocked out, there were times that they would go into a bit of a trance as they would remember something or be consumed by survivor's guilt, there were times where they stayed up half the night too afraid to go to sleep because they weren't sure what they were going to dream.

Would the guys be able to handle it?

Would they be too scared?

Would they dump them at the drop of a hat when something went wrong?

Sydney had quickly reminded them that they were still their friends, and were the ones that had gotten rid of Robert for them. So why would they stop being their friend now? It was one of their biggest problems, they could make friends, but they had trouble keeping them. And having Big Time Rush, especially Kendall, prove how badly they wanted to be friends with them, to help them, they were equally afraid that one day they would wake up and be friendless all over again.

Ronan eventually convinced them that taking time away from LA would help, but she still wasn't that convinced. Yeah being in Hawaii and helping her friends film a music video was fun, a lot more fun than she expected, but at some point or another, they were going to have to go back to LA and reality.

For the time being, she could pretend to still sit in her wonderland.

"What I, first, wanted to ask was if you hated me?"

Rhuben's eyebrows lowered as she turned to look at Logan, he was looking right at her. "What?" She ran a hand through her hair. _Where did that come from? _"No, I don't hate you."

"Not for telling your secret…or for…the way things ended with us?" Logan continued to press.

"No," Rhuben said honestly. "I don't hate you, Logie-Bear." She bobbed her head back and forth. "Actually, I don't think that I ever could. I don't ever really hate people." Logan smiled softly. She turned back to him. "What made you think that I hated you?"

"I was just making sure," Logan replied. "I mean…the way we broke up…it was kind of weird." Now he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I've been putting this off for a long time-"

"S'ok," Rhuben interrupted. "I mean, we both had CDs to work on and…yeah, my brothers, sister and I had a lot to work through. And we still do," she admitted. She suddenly glared at Logan, poking him in the chest with her finger. "Don't act like I'm too busy to ever help you if you need it, even if you need to just talk!"

"I think that reminds me," Logan said, pointing to the start tattoo that she had on her left hand in between her thumb and index finger. He then held out his hand which bared the same tattoo, the same kind that Riley had as well. They had gotten it together to prove that their friendship when they were eight years old was still something they each cherished (and for a way for Logan to prove that he wasn't a wuss and was willing to take risks).

"So why ask?" Rhuben was a little annoyed; she hoped that it wasn't evident in her voice.

"Just to be sure," Logan said honestly. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you hated me. Any of you guys." He started to kick at the sand. "I know that you all were pretty upset when the news got out among us, but I really just wanted to-"

"I _know_! You wanted to help." Rhuben turned and squeezed Logan's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And you did. You've said it so many times, Logie-Bear, quit being such a dill." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking directly at Logan. He immediately avoided her gaze, never being one that was able to handle hers or any of her siblings' direct eye contact very well. "What did you _really_ want to talk about?"

Logan licked his lips.

They both knew what he wanted to talk about.

"We've been on really good terms since we broke up," Logan said slowly. "Great terms even, sometimes I feel like we just got better since we dated and broke up. I feel like I've gotten to re-find you." Rhuben snorted. She didn't believe that for a second. He was referring to how she was when they were kids, the times where Robert wasn't around and they could all hang out. The few times that they were really, _really _happy. She wasn't even sure if she could ever get to that point ever again, so she didn't know what he was talking about.

"And?"

"And I was hoping that this vacation would make things even better between us," Logan said. His dimple appeared in his cheek. "I think that if this is a good vacation, nothing but good things will come for us and for our friends." He suddenly looked annoyed. "That's not really what I wanted to say." He rubbed his hands together. "We have a good understanding of each other…I mean, we we've got fairy tales and stories and ice cream." He laughed a little, but then stopped as he frowned again. "Wow, this is harder than I thought."

_Really, because it seems so simple to me. _Rhuben stayed silent, waiting for him to get to his point.

"What I'm trying to say is-"

"So…once this vacation is over…we can see how we feel and, maybe get back together," Rhuben said. "I think that's what you're trying to say."

Logan chuckled. "Yeah, that's kinda what I'm trying to say." He suddenly stopped walking and stooped down, digging a hand into the sand. After a few seconds, he let out a quiet, 'a ha' and turned to Rhuben, holding his hand out, a large grin on his face. In his hand was a large piece of a purple sea glass.

Rhuben reached out to take the glass and Logan gently closed his hand around hers. Using his free hand, he reached out and brushed her hair out of her face, causing her to flinch for a moment, turning her head away from him. But he kept his hand on her face, waiting for her to calm down and relax.

He chocolate brown eyes twinkled at her. "I hope that you'll give it a chance."

Rhuben looked back at him, giving direct eye contact. She became acutely aware of the smell of brown sugar. "I give second chances, but not thirds or fourths," she said slowly.

"But…" Logan prompted.

"But you're different," Rhuben said honestly. "That much is obvious." She shrugged, scratching the back of her neck with her free hand, instinctively moving closer to him to block herself from the wind that blew. She took a deep breath. "I think it's possible," she said slowly. "Only-"

"After the vacation is over and we get back and see how our feelings are," Logan repeated himself.

Rhuben nodded. "I hope you're not-"

"No, Bella, that's fine." Logan cupped her face with his hands. "It's fine. I don't want to rush you into anything, and I promise that if you need to talk about it…or talk about me"-he gave a cocky smile, causing Rhuben to roll her eyes-"then I'll be here to listen. Whatever you need. I promise. And if you need me to back off while you figure things out then that's fine too."

Rhuben smiled and nodded.

Logan dropped his hands from her face and Rhuben slid the sea glass into her pocket. He then hesitantly reached out and took her hand and the two continued to walk down the beach. It wasn't a romantic handhold, not the way that they used to, this was a comforting handhold the same kind that made her feel better when they were kids and when they were establishing their friendship again after having met up again and that was what she needed right now.

Because she was going to ask _What about Camille? _However, she figured that it would just screw things up.

And for the moment, being so used to having things blow up in her face, she was glad that something was going her way.

* * *

**A/N:** Aww, I miss writing Lolla, I haven't done it in a while. Do you guys think the pacing of the story is ok? I think it's going too slow, but idk what you guys think. I believe that if I go into the Australia bits it'll go to slow and take too long to get into season 3. But at the same time, it needs to be shown, so idk how to do it without the rest of the story taking too long. My idea was after Hawaii to jump to the guys coming back from tour and showing everything that happened in Australia as flashbacks, but I'm not sure how that would work.

Also, I have a trivia question for you guys: What's the _one_ thing that Riley _always_ does when she and Kendall are in a scene together and/or interact with each other?

For one hint, it's not her calling him Hockey-Head, because that's too easy.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	6. Decisions (PART 4)

**.:Chapter 06:.**

* * *

_"I made decisions that I regret, and I took them as learning experiences... I'm human, not perfect, like anybody else." ~Queen Latifah_

* * *

**A/N: **From now on, I'm referring to Kacy as 'Kacy' and 'Mama Knight', just in case anyone's confused. I'm warning you now, and I'm aware that her name on the show is Jennifer, but we prefer to give her a 'K' name to match Kendall's and Katie's.

* * *

Riley swung her arms and her upper body to the side while keeping her lower body straight. Once the right time came, she swung her upper body to the left, in the same direction of her lower body. The force of the snap around motion twisted her and her surfboard around in a circle at the base of the wave. The wave roared over her and she crouched down, picking up speed so that she could get out of the barrel. At the last moment, thinking she was in the clear, she started to stand up.

_Fuck!_

The miscalculation was painful. For her pride as well as for her body. The wave collapsed over Riley's head the power of the water forced her towards her stomach. Though leashed to her leg, her board flew out from underneath her and she bent her body in half to enter the water in a graceful dive as opposed to belly flopping. The incoming waves twisted her in a salt spin-cycle before it deposited into calmer waters. Sputtering, Riley got up and tugged the leash, propelling her board to her side. Letting out a cry of frustration, she smashed her fist against the water.

_Bloody hell, you had it that time! _Knocking water out of her ear, Riley trudged back up the beach to where her sister was sitting on the sand, her own surfboard plunged nose down. Rhuben looked away from her camera, shielding her face from the light that was glowing on top as Riley dropped her surfboard to the round and sat next to her. "That looked like it hurt."

"It didn't hurt more than it's annoying," Riley said with a slight huff. She brought her knees up and looped her thin arms around them. She started to slap the palm of her hand on the side of her head. "But my ears are waterlogged."

"That can be just as annoying," Rhuben sympathized. She put her camera down, turning off the light. The area around them immediately dimmed, but the moonlight above them kept them from being in complete darkness. "But if you need a good smack on the head, I'll be glad to lend a helping hand." She gave an evil smile before falling into quiet laughter as Riley rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Sis."

"You're welcome, Sis."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Rhuben made a sound like she was clearing her throat. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair, absentmindedly. "So I heard Mama Knight and Ronan talking on the phone before we got here…he's thinking that after this vacation, we should go home and take a break from music."

Riley turned to her sister, her right eyebrow lowered. Her eyes shifted as she processed what her twin sister had just said to her. "And do what? Just tour?"

"No." Rhuben shook her head. "Like, take a break from everything .To get out of LA, to get out of the spotlight, to not have what we do or Big Time Rush does affect each other and vice versa." She dropped her arm. "He wants us to be able to take some time to ourselves and to get some rest and not be as tired as we have been." She raised and lowered her right shoulder in a shrug. "I think it's a bit rash, and I'm kind of annoyed that he didn't talk to us about it first, but I can see where he's coming from."

Riley mimicked her sister's movement, raising and lowering her right shoulder in a shrug. At the same time, the two girls reached their hands out in front of them and cracked their knuckles, first the right hand, then the left, then rested in the same position, their arms around their upraised knees. Riley pushed her wet, stringy hair behind her shoulders, thinking about what she had just been told.

On one hand, she was annoyed with Ronan not saying anything about it either. It was a decision that they were going to have to make and it affected a lot of people around them, not just them, and he was talking to someone else about it before he tried bringing it up to his own kids. _I mean, it's Mama Knight, but still. _Her eyes narrowed trying to keep the sand out of her eyes from the light wind that blew across the beach. On the other hand, she understood his concern about the idea and talking it to someone who didn't have a biased opinion on the situation could have been helping him.

But it was a big decision on all of them. She could admit that she was exhausted. Year after year they did nothing but work on music, put out CDs, cram as many appearances into their schedule as they could and that was not including the other projects they were working on or were offered and the tours that they had to go on to promote everything. She didn't remember the last time she had a full week completely off and at this point in her life, she didn't even know what she would do with the whole time off. Even while they were on vacation in Hawaii, she didn't see it as a vacation at all, she and her brothers and sister were helping their friends film a music video or their job and at the same time, they were continuously fielding their own work through their e-mails, ScuttleButter, and MyFace.

"What do you think about it?" Rhuben's voice broke Riley out of her thoughts.

"I think that Ronan was stupid for not letting us know about it as soon as he got the idea," Riley said, speaking honestly, without a moment's hesitation. "But at the same time, I think he's right." Rhuben nodded slowly at her words. "We have done nothing but work on music and I think even he can see that we're not as invested into everything as we used to be. I used to look forward to being on stage all the time, being able to play the guitar and jump around and have a blast, and now I literally feel numb."

"And then you have to fake the emotions," Rhuben agreed. "Yeah, I get what you mean." She stretched her legs out in front of her before leaning over and resting her head on Riley's shoulder. Riley dipped her head down and rested hers on top of her sister's. "So what are we going to tell the kids?"

"We can get their opinion on it, but either way, we're going to take the break," Riley said firmly. She had a hard edge to her tone, as if daring them to defy her, even if they weren't there to have the conversation with them. "The real question is, whether or not we should let Ronan that we know what he's planning or wait for him to come to us."

Rhuben gave a half smile. "Something tells me that either way it's not going to end well." She took note of Riley's clenched hands and rubbed the back of her neck before drumming her hands in her lap. She could tell that Riley was just as upset as she was. That was something that they had special with Ronan, the fact that he was as straight forward with them as they were to him. If it was a decision this big, why didn't he say anything? Unless that wasn't the only thing that he was hiding.

"I'm not going to yell at him." Riley rolled her eyes. "That would be thrown back in my face so fast, my head would spin. Unfortunately, Ronan's good at being hard to be mad at." The twins chuckled and fell silent again.

Riley looked out over the water. It was so strange how the beach could feel like home, but couldn't. The beach was always a good place to her, no matter which part o the world she was on, she always wanted to go to the beach. It was comforting. But she was always equally aware that it wasn't _her _beach. It wasn't _her _sand or _her_ water. The dumbest part about the whole thought was how she was equally afraid of going home as well. She didn't know what to expect about being home to take a break from music, she didn't know how the fans would react, what the media would say, how people would treat them now. Did she even really care?

"God, this is so confusing!" Riley held out the 'g' in the last word as long as she could.

"I know!" Rhuben mimicked the way she spoke. Wanting to break the tension that hung over them like a cloud wherever they went, she rubbed her head against Riley's shoulder and cheek, causing the twin girls to burst out laughing. Rhuben looked at her watch. "We should get going before someone wonders where we are." Riley snorted loudly. "I know, we left a note, and Ronan wouldn't care, but still."

"It's not that," Riley said shortly. She stood up and tucked her surfboard under her arm. "It's…wondering if they even noticed if we left at all."

Rhuben nodded.

She understood perfectly, Riley knew she would.

* * *

Kacy stretched her arms over her head, basking in having a bed all to herself. Most people saw paradise as being able to go to go to a tropical island, to see the sights, to be able to eat exotic foods. Her paradise was being able to sleep in, not have to be woken up to break some sort of a fight, to not have any responsibility at all. They had brought enough clothes so they didn't have to worry about doing laundry, they got room service so she didn't have to go out and buy food. The best part was that it was all on Gustavo Rocque. How the boys managed to get their music producer to pay for everything, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to question it.

Pulling back her covers, she slid out of her bed and walked over to the closet. Pulling it open, she looked over the clothing options that she had to last the few days they had left of her trip. She sighed as she thought about the PalmWoods; the teens running everywhere, the guys heckling her for help on every little thing, and the threat of getting another strike. Kacy shook her head, allowing the stress to melt away. She was on vacation; she wasn't allowed to think about Los Angeles or anything that it entailed. Smiling, she changed into a pair of jeans and a loose fitting blouse and left the room she and Katie shared, walking into the main area of the suite.

"Mornin' sleepy head," Sydney chirped. He was sitting on the counter in the kitchen, his laptop open in front of him and a banana in his hand.

"I don't think that I deserve the nickname, sleepy head, Syd," Kacy said with a light laugh.

"Really?" Kendall's voice sounded from the living room, instantly grabbing her attention to where everyone was gathered around, shoving things into their backpacks and filling up water bottles. "Mom, I was going to check to make sure that you weren't, like, _dead_ in a minute!"

"Funny." Kacy went over to the coffee maker and picked up a clean cup from the sink. She moved the mug under the spot and pressed the button for the largest cup, the hot liquid warming her hands as it filled to the brim. Carefully bringing her hand to the other side of the mug, she turned around to face the teenagers once more. "So what are you guys' plans for today?" She brought the mug to her mouth and gently blew on it before taking a sip.

"We're going hiking," Logan replied. He gave a bright smile as he painstakingly folded the map that he held in his hands. "When we were coming back from cliff diving, the front desk said that there was a waterfall up in the forest and we're going to find it."

"Don't you think that's a bit dangerous?" Worry and concern flashed over Kacy's face as she lowered her mug to the table. She mentally slapped herself on the forehead. Here she was, trying to remind herself that she was going to be on vacation, and she had to go and blow all of that out of the water by her concern. She wasn't supposed to be a mother on this vacation, she was her own person that could do their own thing and not get dragged into every small problem that they could have.

"Technically cliff diving was dangerous and we came home from that perfectly fine," Carlos reminded her. His bag puffed up like a balloon, cramming as many items as he could into his drawstring bag.

"And yet, you guys only _just_ got over your sunburns." Kacy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Part of her wondered why she was constantly telling them to put on sunscreen and to cover up in the sun when she knew that they wouldn't listen. Hell, she had to chase Kendall around a beach just to spray him with sunscreen from two water guns. She thought that they had learned their lesson that time, but when she came back from a trip into the city she couldn't help but burst out into hysterical laughter and give a big, fat 'I-told-you-so' when she saw how red the boys were and how much pain they were in. Of course she couldn't just leave them there, so she did what any mother would do; she rubbed Aloe Vera on their skin and helped them get through their sunburn as quickly as possible, while trying to keep Katie from giving them constant five-stars.

"Well, we learned our lesson that time," James said. With a flourish and a bright smile, he pulled a massive bottle of sunscreen out of his bag. "Yep, I'm not letting my face burn again."

"It'd be an improvement," Patrick remarked, causing his siblings to laugh and James to shake his head calmly.

"That's your jealousy talking," he said quietly.

"Why don't you come with us, Mom?" Katie suggested as she stood up from her spot on the floor and skipped over to her mother. She wasn't sure if it was the vacation or the fact that Katie was being included on something that was making her that happy. The shocked look on Kacy's face was justified. She had never seen her skip. Ever. She had always thought that skipping was a girly thing and that it was something only 'idiotic prisses did to emphasize their air headedness'. "Hiking is cool."

"If I don't like to go camping, what makes you think that I'd willingly go hiking?" Kacy questioned with a short laugh.

"Because you want to be sure that you little boy and girl are safe up in the big, bad mountains," Katie replied and stuck out her lower lip, widening her eyes. That was the look that she gave to make sure that she got her way on something. She and her family referred to it as 'The Eyes' since no one could resist them. Katie knew that she didn't have a lot of time left to being able to get what she wanted while using them, so she did it as often as possible.

Kendall could feel himself starting to blush. The snickers that the Jacksons tried to hide didn't help him at all. His mother had been so…trusting after the guys had somewhat managed to prove that they could house sit Gustavo's mansion for a night. Why did Katie have to go and ruin that now? To torture him of course. She could be his worst enemy just as easily as she could be his best friend and he was never completely sure which one he was going to get though he knew she always had his back. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Riley as she leaned over to Patrick and whispered something into his ear. He laughed, nodded, looked over at Katie, and then whispered back to her. Kendall rested his hand over his mouth, letting out a quiet grunt.

"Forget it." Kacy looked up as Ronan slipped into the apartment, carrying a newspaper in his hands. He looked around the room, his gaze resting on Kacy. A smile stretched across his face, he tossed the newspaper onto the table.

"Oh good, you're not dead," he said.

"Ha ha." Kacy rolled her eyes. She spread her arms, being careful not to spill her coffee. "Is today the day for all jokes to be on me?"

"It could be if you want it to be," Ronan said, his smile never fading.

Kacy met his gaze. She could clearly hear the conversation of those outside of the hotel in the following silence. She didn't dare to look at anyone else, knowing that they were all looking at the two of them. Kacy slowly brought her hands together, resting her finger tips on her coffee mug. Her gaze lowered from his, then flittered back up a second later. He had turned away to ask his kids something, but she couldn't miss the smirk that was growing on his face. It annoyed her.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Mama Knight," Noah remarked, he turned to her with a smile.

She gave Ronan a funny look when the Jacksons all started to whistle. "Should I ask?"

"Not unless you want your hair to turn grey," Ronan replied. He gave a half smile. "Not that it matters, red isn't your real hair color anyway." He laughed and leaned out of the way as Kacy moved to hit him on the arm. "Anyway, are you coming hiking with us?"

"Katie tried to get her to go with 'the eyes' but it didn't work," Kendall spoke up as he finished packing his backpack.

"Wow, I think that's the first time in its existence that it failed," Patrick commented, his eyebrows rising in amusement. His eyes were sparkling with laughter behind his blue tinted sunglasses. He turned to Kacy and tilted his head to the side. "Do you not like hiking?"

"It's just not my favorite thing in the world," Kacy replied with a shrug. "I mean, this is supposed to be a vacation we're supposed to be relaxing."

"The waterfall _will_ be relaxing," Carlos pointed out.

"He's right," Sydney nodded earnestly. "Sounds of water running is relaxing because people tend to relax or be comforted when they are at the water. This gets ingrained in the human mind, until the sound itself _feels_ comforting."

"Or it makes you feel like having to take a fucking piss," Riley remarked. Ronan shushed her as the Jacksons laughed loudly. Sydney moved to his eldest sister's side and held out his hand. Still laughing, she handed him two dollars, which he shoved into his pocket.

"You heard the genius!" Kendall declared, laughing as well. He pointed to his mother with a smug smile. "You _have_ to go!"

"Technically I don't _have_ to do anything other than sit here in this chair, drink my coffee, and enjoy the peace and quiet that I'm going to have once you all are gone." Kacy crossed her arms over her chest. "And you can't change my mind."

* * *

"Mom, would you hurry up?" Katie hollered down the wooded path. She placed her hands on her hips looking at her watch. Her foot tapped up and down impatiently. "Geez, everyone has to be at least a quarter mile ahead of us! _What_ is taking you so long?"

Kacy rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? What's taking so long?

Everywhere were trees, leaves, plants, rocks, and roots threatening to trip her and send her spiraling down the side of the mountain to be splattered at the very end by those sharp, pointy rocks some hundred feet straight down. How on earth was any one supposed to be going any faster? Every step she took was a hazard of breaking my neck, not to mention her ankle. It didn't help that Kacy was completely forced into going and was against it in the first place. Yes, she wanted to spend some time with her son, her daughter, and everyone else. But they could have done it in the hotel's pool or down on the beach at a luau or just sitting in their hotel room getting room service. Gustavo was paying for everything, they could have done it.

_But no! Now here I am getting killed by branches and rocks! _Kacy reached her daughter and kept walking. She had to resist the urge to scare her with every ounce of anger she could muster in a glare. The trauma from that glare wouldn't be worth it, not even close. However she could admit that the view was spectacular; the warm climate was invigorating, and there were rainbows all over the place."

"I'm trying to go fast! It's just not working, I'm not exactly a hiker, you know!" Kacy replied, and then quickly brought her eyes back down to her uncertain feet.

"And you think we are?" Rhuben asked with a light laugh. "I find hiking just as boring as golf, if not more." She gave an exaggerated sigh, tilting her head back to look at the clouds as they passed over head. "I mean, you have to be _quiet_ and you have to golf clap, the _only_ good thing is that you can drive a golf kart."

"You're only saying that because you crashed the last one," Ronan said, turning to look at his daughter.

"Yeah, but that was fun," Rhuben insisted.

"_You_ didn't have to pay for it!" He cuffed her over the head.

"That wasn't fun for you?"

Kacy laughed along with Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, Katie, Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney as Ronan shook his head. It was very common to see Ronan having to pay for something that one of his kids broke. It was sort of like BTR and Gustavo, the only difference being Ronan never yelled, he could see most of it coming before it happened, and more likely than not his kids did it on purpose while they were bored and trying to have fun.

"Besides, golf is fun," Kendall spoke up, coming to Ronan's defense. He shrugged. "_I_ like it."

"Well, that explains it." Riley piped up. He almost counted down to it coming. Almost every time he said something, he could assume that she was going to tease him, make some sort of joke, or find a way to embarrass him. It was usually accompanied with a smirk and a victorious flash in her eyes. It always made his blood boil with challenge, slight annoyance, and amusement.

"What explains what?" Kendall looked at her from behind his sunglasses.

"I mean,"-Riley lifted her phone from the pocket and took a picture from of the view. She replaced her phone to her pocket-"Your favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla and you like _gold_?" She smirked over at him as he nodded slowly, not sure what she was getting at. "Then it explains why you're so boring." Her smirk widened, a head tilt accompanying the movement of her lips.

Kendall's mouth dropped open, although his green-yellow eyes flashing with amusement. "I am _not_ _boring_!"

"Oh really?" Riley laughed. "Vanilla is one of the blandest, most boring flavors of ice cream and it suits you perfectly."

Kacy and Ronan exchanged glances and tried not to burst out laughing. As his mother, she had the feeling that she should defend him somehow, but it was the way that their friendship worked. Unless it got particularly malicious, there was no point in trying to get it to stop. And while they could quickly become competitive over nothing, she had seen how hard Kendall tried to become the Jacksons' friends and knew he wasn't going to drop them over some harmless teasing. Plus it was entertaining for her to watch sometimes.

"Boring?" Kendall repeated. Not finding any other thing to say, he scuffed his shoe on the ground, kicking at a rock. "I'll show _you_ boring," he said under his breath. He turned around to face his mother. "Mom are you sure you're ok?" He carefully walked backwards as he watched her, ready to catch her in case she fell. "We could go back down if you wanted. We're not that high up yet."

"No, sweetie, I'm fine," Kacy called back with a wave and a smile. "I don't want to have to ruin your guys' trip."

"At least _you're_ fine," Noah grumbled, his hands on his butt. Ever few steps he would wince and lightly rub it. "I think I scraped off half of my ass cheek when we were trying to climb over that crack in the ground."

Patrick grinned and turned to Katie. "Are you checking out his butt?" He asked loudly, causing Katie to blush.

"No!" She snapped and reached out, shoving him. "Shut up!"

"Hey don't shove, all right?" Ronan said in a warning tone. "I don't want any of you guys suddenly falling off the side of the mountain. It'd suck having to tell your parents that you turned into a pancake we had to scrape off of the ground."

"Amazing imagery, Ronan," Riley said, her upper lip curling. "It's nice having to think about that when we're _up this _high!"

"We're not going to let anyone fall," James said reassuringly. "Besides, if we did, then Gustavo would probably kill us and that would just cause a nasty chain of events." He suddenly looked thoughtful. "I wonder what picture they would use of me on the news." He ran his hands through his hair, moving his face into different expressions. "It would have to be a really flattering one or else it would make the other angels laugh at me."

"Unbelievable," Kendall muttered, shaking his head.

The group continued to hike up the mountain, stopping to take pictures along the way. They had gone on for about twenty minutes before Carlos started to sing the '99 bottles of beer on the wall' song at the top of his lungs. Patrick joined in quickly. It didn't get annoying until they had managed to get to twenty bottles left. Katie finally yelled at them to stop singing or else she was going to 'accidentally' send them off the side of the mountain. That had quickly shut them up.

Finally they managed to get to an area where the path had been taken over by water. They were near the waterfall, as Logan pointed out, because you could hear the rush of water from it not too far away. "We should probably make sure that no one falls," Logan added as he stepped out into the water in front of him, moving his body sideways. "We don't know how deep this could get and we don't know if there's a strong current." He stood up and looked behind him. "Everyone hold hands."

"Got it!" James declared, immediately grabbing onto Riley's and Rhuben's, causing the twin girls to laugh.

"Actually, it's a good thing you're holding onto us, since you're the strongest," Riley remarked. She turned to Sydney. "One move and he'd be ripped away like a feather."

"Not funny." Sydney stuck his tongue out at his eldest sister.

"I'll go last then," Ronan commented as he took off his shoes and put them into the drawstring bag that was on his back. He then bent over and rolled up the waist band of his swim trunks to be sure that they were secure. "Just in case," he added, holding out his hand for Kacy to take.

"Do you think with my complaining about having to come out here karma is going to get me?" Kacy asked, half joking. She grabbed onto his hand, his fingers closed around hers firmly. The group started to side-step their way through the water.

"I doubt it," Ronan replied with a snort, tightening his hand on hers as he side-stepped a large rock. "Not that it would matter, I was part of the swim team in high school, so I could save you in a second."

"That sounds like a line that James would use," Kendall remarked, narrowing his eyes at the older man. Ronan laughed to himself, noticing the slightly concerned edge in the teenager's tone. He was always protective of his family, even if it was directed towards a friend of his.

"Only less pathetic," Logan remarked.

James's right eye narrowed and he reached out and shoved Logan on the back. Logan let out a cry as he toppled forward and fell into the water. Carlos screamed with laughter. James's mouth dropped open as Logan fell into a part of the river that had been swollen from, what they could guess a recent rainstorm and was swept down a tiny hill, screaming the whole way.

"What?" he asked when all eyes turned to him.

"Logan, are you ok?" Rhuben shouted after him. She waited a second for a response. "Oh Logie-Bear," she sang-called.

"I'm fine!" Logan called back. "But you guys need to get down here, I found the waterfall!"

"What are we waiting for then?" Noah did a stride jump into the water in front of him and swam down the small hill that Logan had just gone down. The others quickly followed him. When they reached the bottom, they were surprised to find that they had found the waterfall that they were looking for.

"This is awesome," Katie said as she swam over and pulled herself up onto Kendall's back. He hooked his arms around her legs, keeping her up as he floated through the water on his stomach. "Who wants to play chicken? It'll be even harder with the waterfall here.

"TEAM!" Carlos shouted, grabbing onto Riley's arm. She pushed at his chest, moving him away from her, flinching at the same time. Her arms moved over her head, she closed her eyes, and turned her head to the side, waiting to be struck. The others looked away, pretending that it didn't happen. Carlos gave her a sympathetic look when Riley slowly recovered, lowering her arms. She gave a small one in reply.

"I want to play, too." Katie said. She pushed off of Kendall's back and swam over to the youngest of the group. "Me and Syd are small, but we can still beat you guys no problem." She stood moved over to the shallow part of the pool that the water fall created and put her stuff on the ground.

"You guys have to play too," Patrick said to Ronan and Kacy. "It's only fair, besides then we'd have six teams to play instead of there being an odd team out."

"No." Kacy shook her head. "No, I already decided to take time out of my relaxing day to come hiking with you," she said. "Which you all knew I hated. I'm not playing." She pointed over to the mossy area where everyone had set their bags. "I'm going to be over there, reading a book."

"But if you don't play than I can't win," Ronan said, purposefully using a little kid's voice in a whining tone.

"I never noticed before, is it some sort of a male thing to want to win all the time?" Kacy asked dryly.

"Maybe, but it makes us more loveable don't you think?" Ronan laughed and gave Patrick and Noah a high-five, easily knocking the two of them over into the water. His twin sons scowled at him as they resurfaced and Noah climbed back onto Patrick's shoulders. "Now, let's play."

"You don't get anything out of the two little letters 'N' and 'O' do you?" Kacy asked, trying to give him her best 'mother's stare'. It was a look that all mothers had that showed that they meant business. She did it each and every time the guys said something that was insulting-like when Logan insinuated that she was old back when Kendall was trying to convince her that they could mansion sit for Gustavo-or when they were just plain rude-like when they were trying to prove that they could be bad boys-it never failed.

"No." Ronan shrugged as he tossed his shirt aside. "Because I'm not letting you out of this." He moved forward and grabbed onto Kacy's arm, easily pulling her up onto his shoulders. Kacy scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the feeling of his warm, calloused hands on her legs, holding her still. She hadn't been touched like that or in any way, since she had separated from her husband. Ronan turned to the teenagers as they got ready to play as well. "Now come on, we're going to show them that older people can still keep up!"

"Who are you calling old?" Kacy smacked him on the head.

Sitting on his shoulders, she could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed. Before she got a chance to make herself balanced on his shoulders, he moved towards James and Logan, who were coming their way. Ronan bent at his knees, almost knocking Kacy off balance and took a step forward, angling Kacy towards Logan. He raised his arms to push her shoulders; Kacy knocked his arms to the side and poked her fingers into the area under his arms, by his armpits. Retracting his arms, Logan started to laugh, as Kacy knew he would. She knew all of the boys more than they thought she knew them. Living with them in close proximity for two years made her conscious to their little quirks and mannerisms.

"Nice one!" Ronan cheered. He let go of her right leg and held his hand up for a high-five, Kacy obliged and he quickly replaced it, his fingers pressing into her skin.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Kendall walked out of the water, shaking his head. Water droplets went flying, landing on the surrounding foliage as he went. He went over to his bag and pulled out a towel. He roughly rubbed it over his head before sliding a hat over his hair and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. Walking over to the cooler that they had brought along, he opened it and pulled out a mini Gatorade bottle. His eyes scanned over everyone, glad to see that they looked to be having a good time. It was the same intention of when they had brought the Jacksons to Minnesota with them for Christmas to have a good holiday, this time was to have a good vacation.

It seemed to be working; they looked to be having a good time. Although, he still had moments where he expected something to go wrong. He couldn't understand why, though he could probably chalk it up to experience. Everything good that happened to them, something bad happened soon after-case in point being the release of their first album and then the concert being cancelled. Sure the concert did end up happening after their hard work to promote it. There was always a silver lining after something bad had happened though. _Maybe I've been around Gustavo too long. _The thought made Kendall laugh to himself.

His green eyes scanned the water once more before they swiveled to the sand where Riley was sitting on the edge of the water, a contemplative look on her face. He watched as she smiled, watching Patrick and Ronan use their locked arms to push upwards and launch Sydney up into the air out of the water. With a whoop, he flew through the waterfall and did a flip before landing in a dive. She tilted her head to the side and started to braid her wet hair but quickly gave up, resting her chin in her hand. Kendall grabbed another Gatorade and closed the lid to the cooler with his foot before walking over to her.

Approaching her, he tossed the Gatorade bole at her, surprised when she shot her hand up and grabbed the bottle out of the air. She moved it to her other hand as Kendall sat down next to her. "Fast reflexes," she answer his silent question.

"Because of baseball?" He angled his head towards her.

"Mm-mm." She shook her head, taking a gulp of her Gatorade. Closing the lid, she tucked it into the sand beside her. "I never played baseball. I know how to play, but I never played for an actual team."

"Could have fooled me," Kendall said.

Riley gave a half smile. "You were the one that whacked me in the wrist with a baseball bat, Kendall, so you're one to talk."

Kendall grimaced at her calling him by his name and what she was referring to. Back when they had gone to Minnesota for Christmas, she had come to see how he was doing after he had been mopey for most of the day. After having talked, writing a song together, and getting into a small argument over which sport was better-hockey or baseball-they showed each other how to play and he inadvertently managed to smack her in the wrist. She had taken it well, but he was afraid that he had caused some sort of PTSD from it. He was glad to know that he hadn't. Bu the fact that she called him Kendall made him a bit on edge; she only ever called him Kendall when she was mad at him or she was being serious.

_What could be the problem now? I thought we were having a good time. _"How many times am I going to have to apologize for that?"

"You never had to," Riley said, surprising him. "I've felt pain worse than that and never got an apology them." She brushed her hair out of her face then bobbed her head back and forth. "Then again, I never excepted it."

"But still, I _am _sorry," Kendall said. He scratched his forehead, the two of them winced when Carlos was flung through the air and smacked face first into the water. "So, uh, are you guys having a good time here?" He rolled his eyes when Riley snorted. "You know, you can even make a snort sound condescending."

"Is that going to be your new question of the day?" She scratched the back of her neck, her smile morphing into a smirk. Kendall smiled to himself, knowing how she was referring to his constant asking if they were friends or what was going on with them when they had fist met. Her face relaxed. "Yeah, we're having a good time." She ducked her head. "Better than we thought we would."

"Good." Kendall smiled. "I'm glad, that's what we were hoping." He closed his eyes. _God, that was stupid._"I mean, it's a good way to start the tour, on a positive note, you know?" He noticed Riley grimace. "What? What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Riley leaned forward against her upraised knees, her mouth hidden from view. Her eyes stared straight ahead. "Nothing."

Kendall gave a half smile. "You're a good liar, but you're bad at hiding what you're feeling."

"Whoever said that I tried?" She swiftly returned. "I can't hide it from you, anyway, because you're just going to bug me until I tell you, right?" She started to rub her arm.

"No," Kendall said honestly. He leaned back, resting his hands in the sand behind him. "I'll just wait until you tell me. Because I know that you will when you feel that it's the right time. I mean, you trust me enough for that, right?"

Riley looked at him, surprised, before her face relaxed, giving him a soft smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He looked at his hands. "So, uh, where'd you go last night?"

"You knew I left?" She looked interested.

"I heard the door," Kendall explained.

"I just went down to the beach," she said slowly. He was glad that she couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses, or else she would accuse him of being a creepy stalker or something like that. He quickly looked away when she turned to look at him. "I just needed some time to think about some stuff."

"To clear your head?" He teased.

"Shut up, Hockey-Head." Looking ahead of her, Riley reached out and shoved Kendall on the shoulder. She pushed him hard enough so that he toppled over into the water, creating a loud splash, sending water everywhere.

* * *

**A/N:** If it's hard to figure out, the chapters in Hawaii spans a while, there are time jumps with each chapter if that wasn't clear. Their time in Hawaii is gonna end soon and then it's the All Over The World tour and The Jacksons going back to Australia.

I know there hasn't been a lot of moments with the guys bonding with each other, but you'll see it when it gets to the chapters of them being on tour together. I wanted to do the Hawaii portion of the story like I did for the Christmas portion of _It's The Rush That You Get _where you see the guys more with the Jacksons than with each other.

I hope you guys liked the chapter, I'll update again soon, the story picks up with the next chapter and even more drama starts from there.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	7. Ready (PART 5)

**.:Chapter 07:.**

* * *

_"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." ~Winston Churchill_

* * *

"Alright, guys I need to talk to you,"

Clasping his hands together, Ronan leaned back against the headboard of his bed, crossing his legs at the ankle. His kids were sitting all scattered around the room; Sydney was lying on the bed at his feet, Patrick and Riley were squeezed into one of the arm chairs, elbowing each other to try and get some space, Rhuben was sitting on the floor by the bed, and Noah was sitting on the window sill, his knees drawn up to his chest.

"And it's something really important, that we need to discuss sooner rather than later," He continued. He licked his lips, rubbing his hands together for a moment. "Ok, I'm just going to get right to the point. I think that you guys need to take a break from making music, and touring, and being so into the public eye." As he spoke, he watched to see his kids' reactions. "That being said, I think that you should forgo touring with the guys, and, instead, go back to Australia and take some time off."

There was a moment of silence before Patrick spoke up, his right eyebrow rising. "How would that be any different though?" He looked at Ronan critically. "We get a _whole_ lot more attention from the media in Australia than we do in LA. So how does taking a break from music and going back home going to make a difference from staying out of the public eye?"

"Because in LA, they only care about your relationships with your friends and try to dig up dirt about that, while in Australia they care more about your career, as sad as that is to say," Ronan reminded him.

He had been in the music industry almost directly after he had graduated from college, born and raised in LA, he knew what it was like to see upcoming stars' careers get pushed aside because of the focus on who they were dating, who they broke up with, and who they were friends with. It was sad to see how those in America cared more about the celebrity's personal life instead of what they were out there trying to do. Shortly after he had signed the Jacksons to his record company, he picked up and moved over to Australia to work with them until he thought that it would be the right time to bring them back over to the US. He _immediately _noticed the difference between the media of the two different countries; yes people cared about who celebrities were going out with in Australia, but it wasn't as big a deal as it was in America. He had seen more about the drama of who got what song that a certain music producer wrote, who really deserved that specific award, who should collaborate with who, and can the person really sing more than relationship drama.

It was a nice change of pace, something that he really liked. He had heard that Australia was really laid back about their lifestyle and while he didn't permanently live in Australia, he liked to go and be able to relax while he was working. While in LA, he felt that he was constantly on the go (not including how he would run away from Gustavo's wrath over every slight problem).

In the silence that followed, he could clearly hear the waves crashing on shore and the shouts and screams of those that were running in the water and on the beach. "And you all know that you guys really deserve a break," Ronan continued. "Ever since you guys started, you've put out album after album each and every year. And that's not including the two years that you guys have spent touring to promote the albums beforehand, and then recording most of the new one while you were on the tour."

"That was fun," Noah said with a fond smile. His smile faded slightly. "We didn't get a lot of time off, but it was fun while it lasted."

"That was only because the more time we spent doing shows, recording, and sleeping, the less time that we had to spend with Robert," Riley pointed out. She took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. "Don't worry, Ronan, we think it's a good idea, too."

Ronan looked surprised for a moment then leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked back and forth from Riley to Rhuben. "You eavesdropped didn't you?"

"I prefer the word 'snoop'," Riley said. "It sounds better."

"And 'no'," Rhuben denied. She shook her head. "We didn't snoop. I just overheard a part of your conversation with Mama Knight recently and it didn't take long to figure out what you were thinking." She shrugged. "I mean, you're always thinking about the next step with our career and you were the one that had told Robert over and over again that we needed some time to take a break and not to continue to push out CDs whenever he felt like it."

"And we're tired," Sydney spoke up. Ronan looked down at him and, at that moment, he saw a normal, ten year old boy. Not a ten year old boy that had to wake up early every day to go to the gym and fill the rest of his schedule with recordings, harmonies, vocal work, appearances, photo shoots, and press junkets. He saw a normal ten year old boy that wanted to be able to hang out with his friends, sleep in, and just have fun. "I've been doing this all my life and…I'm not really having fun with it anymore."

The sad smile that crossed Ronan's face let the Jacksons know that he agreed with them. He then explained his feelings, "I noticed that too," Ronan said. He reached out a foot and lightly dug his toes into Sydney's side, causing the young boy to laugh and push his feet away. "If I would get a new sample of music and want you guys to listen to it, you used to get so hyperactive about it. But now, you'd just sit there and nod and say whether or not you like it. You're not as energetic as you used to be."

"And you think that taking a year off of music would do that?" Noah looked a little skeptical.

Ronan sucked in a deep breath; this was going to be harder than the rest of it. "I think that taking a year off of making new music would do that yes." He regarded the slightly horrified expressions on his kids' faces. "I don't mean that you can't do performances or appearances or write or anything. I mean that it's not going to be as important as it was before. I want you guys to be able to experience life the way that kids your age are supposed to."

That caused the Jacksons to burst out laughing. "Kids your age," Patrick repeated before laughing even harder.

"We didn't even have to make an 'old' joke this time, he did it himself," Riley added.

"Ha ha." Ronan rolled his eyes. Although he couldn't help the smile that was forming on his face. Sometimes it was hard for him to remember whether that he was their father as opposed to their friend. _Maybe that's the good thing. It's better than I can't put up a difference between being a friend and a father; it makes things easier that way. It makes our situations different. _He looked at his five kids, his adopted kids, as they continued to laugh with each other. _And they definitely are different._

"Well, what do you think about starting your break in Australia as opposed to be in LA?" Ronan ventured. That's what he _really_ wanted to know. "I mean, it took a while for you guys to even admit that they were all your friends. Would you rather stay in LA at the start of your break?"

"No," Riley said immediately.

Ronan blinked, his eyebrows lowering as he turned to look at his eldest daughter. She had her chin resting in her hand, her elbow purposefully pushing into Patrick's stomach, causing him to wiggle to the side, trying to get some space. "Why not?"

"I don't like LA," She explained. Ronan was slightly offended for a second, as it was his hometown. He could understand it though. Not many people knew that he had a pretty famous family, and he was used to the way that people in LA acted. You never knew what people in LA were _really_ thinking about you. Riley seemed to have noticed the sting that her words could have given, for she bobbed her head back and forth. "Let me rephrase that, I like some of the places and some of the people in LA, I just don't like the feeling of constantly being watched and being judged. It's so fucking annoying."

Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, now that we have that out of the way, you guys are definitely going to be…hesitant on this idea…" Ronan leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "But I think that it'll help with your recovery and everything." The Jacksons glanced at each other before giving Ronan his undivided attention. Sydney got up from his stomach so that he was sitting on his knees, looking directly at him. "What do you think about telling the world about your abuse?"

He got stunned silence in reply.

"This past year, I adopted you guys and we all crammed into my penthouse, and we're still trying to adjust to everything." Ronan cracked his knuckles. "And you're going to therapy whenever you guys need it, but I think that your recovery process would work better if you announced that you were abused."

"What about the backlash?" Sydney whispered. He ducked his head, messing with the blue/black fringe that fell over his face. "I mean, that was why we didn't say anything for the longest time. We didn't want to be split up and we didn't want people to be mad that we kept it a secret for so long."

"That's what you're going to have to figure out, Little Man," Ronan reminded him. He reached out and ran his fingers through his youngest son's hair, causing him to smile, his dimples appearing in his cheeks. "We don't know how people are going to react to the news, and you don't have to make a decision right now, I just want you all to think about it."

"I hate it when parents say that," Rhuben said. She frowned, moving her gaze up to the ceiling. "They have the decision already made, but they say that you have time to figure it out for yourself."

"When have I ever done that?" Ronan grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. She grabbed it and threw it back at him with a 'duh' look on her face. Ronan didn't have to look at the others to know that they were all giving him the identical look. "Besides right now, I mean." He smiled and laughed.

"Crap!" All eyes turned to Noah as he slapped his forehead. "If we're taking the year off, what are we going to tell Steph?" He looked panic stricken. "We _just_ hired her as a backup dancer and now we have to drop her at the last minute?"

"Well, we all know that you wouldn't want that," Patrick said. Noah stuck his tongue out at his brother, the troubled expression still on his face.

"We'll just call her now." Ronan reached over and grabbed the phone off of the nightstand. He placed it in the middle of the bed as Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, and Noah climbed onto the bed and crowded around him a he picked up the phone and started to dial a number. When it started to ring, he hit the 'speakerphone' button and waited for it to be picked up. They only had to wait a few rings before Stephanie's voice came through the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Steph, it's Ronan," Ronan said, leaning into the phone.

"Hi Stephie!" Sydney called, giving a real smile.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"Oh, hey guys!" Stephanie replied, sounding excited to hear from them. "How's Hawaii? I bet it's really fun. Sorry we haven't talked much, Gustavo said that we should give you all some space so that you're not distracted from, what he says, is the only vacation that you all will ever get."

"You can tell he really cares," Rhuben said sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's what Camille and I were saying," Stephanie agreed. "We're actually really bored without you guys here, which is really funny, considering whenever the guys are around, we can't wait to get rid of them."

"Don't let Carlos hear you say that," Patrick teased.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's up?"

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about being a backup dancer," Ronan said. "Before you freak out, I'm not saying that you're fired or anything. I just wanted to let you know what we're planning for the next year. It really sucks that we just hired you, but we think that it'd be a really good idea if my kids took the year off just to get a break from everything. That way they can really figure out what it is that they want as we push forward."

"Oh yeah, I totally get that," Stephanie said quickly. "I think it's a good idea, actually." She took a breath. "To be honest, being a fan of your guys for a while before I met you, I was surprised you didn't, like, drop dead from how much you had been working."

"Well…thanks for being really supportive about this," Riley said. She twisted her mouth to the side. "It sucks that we just hired you and you're not really doing anything, mate,"

"That's ok," Stephanie said quickly. "It's…not the most important thing." But they could hear the disappointment in her voice. It did suck, it would equate to getting a job in a movie or a TV show and then becoming dropped and replaced with a different actor after the test pilot or the test audience gave their opinion on the project.

"We're still going to be doing appearances and stuff," Noah reassured her. He glanced at Ronan, who nodded encouragingly. "You're still going to get paid for that and everything, you're still going to need to learn all of our routines. So it's not like we're dropping you completely."

"And we'll all help you when we get back," Rhuben added.

"Get back from where?"

"From Oz," Patrick explained. "When we take our year off, we're going to start back home, where there's not as much pressure and everything." He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips as if he suddenly got a headache. "We don't know when we're going to be going back to LA, but we're not going to be away forever."

"Ok, I think that's a good idea, too. We'll definitely keep in touch, especially since we won't have Gustavo breathing down our necks."

"He will," Ronan denied. "Trust me." He looked at his watch. "Well, thanks for being so understanding Steph, but we have to get going. Not much left in Hawaii before we have to get going, we're leaving in a few days actually, so we need to cram in as much surf, sun, and sand as we can."

Stephanie laughed. "I understand, I'll see you guys later, then."

"Bye!"

"Here's a question," Sydney spoke up as Ronan hung up the phone. His dark blue eyes showed the concern that he was feeling, he twisted his fingers together in his lap. "How are we going to tell the guys that we're not going to go on tour with them?"

Ronan gave a funny smile. "Knowing Gustavo, he's going to tell the before you guys get the chance. Mrs. Knight and I will think of something, don't worry about it." He clapped his hands together. "But let's not worry about that now, let's have some fun."

* * *

Carlos smiled and hummed to himself as he pulled his stick of roasting marshmallows away from the fire. He brought the stick up to his face and frantically started to blow out the flames that caused his dessert to brown and puff up. Laugher arose around him as the fire continued to eat away at his marshmallow.

"Careful Carlos, don't get it too close," Kacy warned, pulling her blanket tighter around her. She stretched her legs out into the sand in front of her, being careful not to get her feet too close to the bonfire that was roaring in front of the group, casting their long shadows behind them. It was the perfect juxtaposition to the cool air that befell around then with nightfall.

"Too late for that," Sydney said around a mouthful of a s'more. He wiped his hands off on a napkin and then frowned when the paper got stuck to his fingers."He already burned off his eyebrows, Mama Knight; I don't think he can burn anything else other than his forehead."

"His nonexistent mustache, maybe." Katie laughed to himself. She pressed a graham cracked against her marshmallow then balanced her stick against her lap. Carefully, she picked up her extra graham cracker and smushed it on top of the marshmallow. Smiling to herself, she started to pull it off of her stick, but lost her grip and dropped it to the ground. "Darn it!"

"Here you go." Patrick's hand appeared in front of her face, holding onto two already made smores. Katie slowly reached up and took the dessert from him, not sure what to say. He seemed to sense her plight and shrugged, wiping his hands on the sides of his pants. He placed his paper plate on the ground in front of him. "I've eaten, like, twenty of them and it's _painful_ to watch you try and make one, mate."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

Carlos ignored Mrs. Knight's warning, blowing out the last flame, causing the smoke to twist and turn towards the dark sky that was littered with stars. He made sure that each of his eight marshmallows were cooked perfectly before he turned to find a place to sit down on a log.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked, moving to Rhuben's side.

"It is now, Care Bear," Rhuben replied with a smile, moving over so he had room to sit down. "If you give me one of those marshmallows."

"Deal." Carlos sat down and peeled one off of the stick before putting his plate in his lap to start making his own dessert.

A bonfire was the perfect way to end a vacation. Their trip had flown by quicker than they anticipated. That day they had gone into town to see the locals, drove around the islands, and went snorkeling nd surfing again. The group also got to meet Alana Blanchford and Bethany Hamilton, which made Riley and James very happy (for two different reasons). The whole time they had gotten more than enough footage for BTR's music video and they had a great time as well.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Kendall's voice broke the comfortable silence.

Riley and Patrick groaned. "I smell speech," Patrick remarked.

"More like a heartfelt statement," Noah corrected him.

Kendall smiled as the other's laughed. It was just the way that he was, he was so loyal and so into his friends being ok that he had a habit of making speeches and saying heartfelt things to show them how much he cared. He did it so much that they could tell when he was getting ready to say something.

"Let him finish," Ronan chided them. "Go ahead, Kendall."

"I was just saying that it's been kind of a while since we've all ended up in the same spot together." Kendall shrugged. "We've all been so busy with our own stuff; us with our bands," he motioned between himself and the Jacksons. "You guys going back to Australia every six months, Mom being our Momager, Ronan working with Gustavo, which is a job in itself…" He gave a peaceful smile. "I'd just like to say, it's nice that we were all able to come here to spend a vacation together."

"You know, you're right." Riley nodded. She tilted her head to the side and gave a smile, raising an eyebrow. "I feel like I'm in the middle of some sort of holiday special," she added sardonically.

"Yeah, but I think the group hug is a little premature," Logan said with a laugh. He put his arm around Riley's shoulders and giving her a hug, rubbing her arm. She leaned into him, her smile widening a little. "However, I'm sure we'll find a way to become estrange again in no time." He added, jokingly.

"Well, before we do…" Kendall held up a finger. "I would just like to say that in a world where people who raise you wind up letting you down," he frowned for a moment, but his smile replaced it. It was inevitable, no matter how long he was around his friends, he was always going to find a way to smile and genuinely be happy. "It's an honor and a privilege to have you guys to turn to. And even if we end up splitting apart and going our separate ways in the future we still have moments like these. We'll always have each other to turn to."

The comfortable silence enveloped them again. Here and there, they nodded at each other. Though Kendall did have a tendency to be annoying with his 'go, team, go' attitude and wanting to prove that he could be friends with whomever came his way, he was really good at making speeches. "Well, I can't wait for the Stanley Cup acceptance speech," Rhuben said, breaking the silence again.

"There's not going to be a dry eye in the house," Katie and Sydney agreed in unison.

Ronan stood up, stretching his arms over his head before gathering up his trash. "I'm beat and we have a flight to catch tomorrow, so I'm going to go in and get some sleep." Mrs. Knight started to clean up her trash as well, sliding her feet into her flip flops. He looked around the group. "Anyone else coming in?"

"No," Riley spoke up before anyone else could. She and Rhuben exchanged glances. "We're going to hang out here a little bit longer." She gave a disarming smile, which caused Ronan to turn towards her. He looked like he was about to say something, but then held up his hands and shook his head as if to say 'leave me out of it.

"Sleep well," Rhuben added. "Catch some zeds." She waited until Kacy and Ronan had walked out of ear shot before jumping to her feet and grabbing the bucket of water that was sitting by the fire. She poured it over the fire, makings sure all of the embers had been snuffed. "Beauty! Let's go!"

"And where, may I ask, are we going?" James crossed his arms over his chest as the Jacksons started to lead the up the beach, away from the bonfire.

"You said that you wanted to get some other stuff for your video right?" Noah lifted his hand and put it on Rhuben's shoulder, brushing sand out of his flip flop. He didn't give the guys a chance to answer. "Well, we heard about a party going on up the beach and figured that it'd be good if you got some shots with the locals."

"Why do I have a feeling that there's something that you're not telling us?" Katie asked.

"Probably because you're right," Riley said. She exchanged glances with her siblings and they all started to laugh. Kendall looked over at James, Logan, and Carlos and the three of them exchanged glances of confusion. Their laughter blended together, sounded a little bit like evil, malicious laughter. However, the boys could see that they had a good time during their vacation and it was all that they wanted.

"But, there _is_ something that you need to know," Sydney said slowly. He started to walk backwards, looking up at the guys. "We're…not going to be going on tour with you guys," he said quickly. "We're going to be going home to start our break. We're going to take a year off of making music."

"You think that your career can handle that?" Logan's eyes widened.

"We do rock music," Riley said. Her back still towards the guys, she shook her head, her pigtails bobbing as she did so. "And unlike pop music, rock never dies."

"Low blow," Kendall commented.

"Oh, I could go lower than that."

Again, the Jacksons started to laugh. Kendall smiled, enjoying their ability to have a good time. "Seriously, though, can your career handle taking a year off?"

"A year away from making music is nothing," Rhuben said with a wave of her hand. She chewed the inside of her mouth. "The thing is, though, we weren't sure how you guys would react to us not going on tour with you lot this time."

"You deserve the break," James said helpfully. "I mean…" he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, it's gonna be weird not having you guys there, but if you think that it's something that you need to do, then go ahead and do it. We can deal." He looked over at Carlos, who was pouting. "Well, Carlos might not, but the rest of us can."

"Sheesh." Patrick blinked once. "If we knew that you were going to make it _that_ easy, we would have told you sooner." This time, Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie all laughed with the Jacksons.

The sounds of laughing, cheering, and music headed in their direction. As they rounded the bend, a large teenage party appeared in front of them. There were three bonfires roaring, kids their age were talking and dancing with each other as music from a truck parked on the beach had all of its doors open, the stereo blasting.

"Wow," Katie murmured.

Her eyes moved over the group of teens and she suddenly felt out of place. Parties were never really her thing. They were when she was younger, it was just a bunch of your friends hanging out, eating, and playing games. But the older you got, the weirder the parties got. She didn't like how people cared so much about trying to get the opposite sex's attention the whole night. She liked to have fun any way she could, she didn't want to have to worry about how she looked when she did it. Living in LA, even for the short year that they had been there, she noticed the quick difference between the parties there than the ones in Minnesota. _I hope the parties here aren't the same way._

Katie jumped when she felt a spray of water hit her in the face. Sputtering, she used a hand to wipe the droplets away and then turned to find the culprit, glaring when she noticed Noah smiling at her, lowering a water gun. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." He didn't sound apologetic. "The look on your face was just asking for it."

Katie looked at the cooler that was by his feet, holding four other water gun and she ran over, grabbed one, and turned to chase Noah across the sand.

"Wow, this party looks like it's been going on for a while," James said. He had an appreciative smile on his face as he watched a girl in a bikini walk by him. She smiled and winked at him and he tilted his head back as he watched her go. "And it looks like it'll be _very_ good to me."

"Put your money where your mouth is, Handsome," Riley said. She elbowed Rhuben in the side and the two grabbed the guys' attention, pointing over towards a ping-pong table that had been set up. A group of teenage guys were standing around the table, leaning against each other and laughing. "Anyone want to play beer bong?"

"You play?" Kendall frowned as he watched the two girls move over to the table and grab a set of ping pong paddles and set up the cups. Part of him wasn't surprised; there was still a part of their friends that he and the other guys didn't know about. They knew that the Jacksons (as they had constantly said it) got in trouble a lot when they were back in Australia, but they never clarified on the kind of trouble that they got in. But still…_They freaked out whenever Robert got drunk, so why would they willingly play the game? _He winced, placing a hand on his stomach as he thought back to the party that they had at the PalmWoods. He didn't know the lemonade was spiked and ended up completely wasted. That was the last time that he was going to get a hangover.

"Only cause we never lose," Rhuben said. She brushed her hair behind her ears. "Actually, we've lost a couple of times, but it's whatever." She held a paddle out to the guys. Her eyes flashed as her eyebrow twitched. "D'you wanna play or not?"

"No," Carlos said quickly. "My Mom would kill me."

"Same here," Logan agreed.

His eyes were narrowed as he looked at the twin girls. They looked back at him, expressionless. Their dark blue eyes moved over to James. He shuffled his feet and bit his lower lip, torn. On one hand, he always wanted to try it, just to be able to say that he could, and because he was a teenager, he would like to be able to try. But…he still had a public image that he had to worry about. There were many things that he and his friends had done in Minnesota that their fans would either hate or think was hysterical.

That was no big deal.

However, if it came out in the media, they would probably be blacklisted.

"No thanks," James finally said. Kendall's stance, his hand still on his stomach, showed his idea of the whole matter.

Riley smirked. "Good choice," she said before turning to the table and tossed the paddle back onto the table. She reached over and grabbed onto a cup and tilted her head back, downing the liquid that was inside. Riley crushed the cup in her hand before tossing it to the ground. "It's soda."

_So it was just a test? _Kendall looked over at Rhuben, who was spinning her paddle between her hands, her eyes moving over the crowd. Her upper lip curled as a guy fell over onto his hands and knees and started to puke in the sand. _Maybe I should get Katie out of here. This isn't the kind of party that she'd be used to. How the fuck do they always get us into this sort of thing? Then again, it is Hollywood, these things probably happen more than we think._

"Where'd Syd go?" Logan changed the subject, looking around him. "He was just right here."

Kendall looked around, and then wordlessly pointed. The others turned and laughed when they saw him walking along the beach, dragging a long hose behind him. He walked over a to a long black tarp and twisted the top of the hose in-between his hands and a jet of water shot out onto the tarp. A second later a girl pushed by him and slid down the tarp, a spray of soapy water splashing up as she went.

"A SLIP N' SLIDE!" Carlos cheered, throwing his hands into the air. He tore off his shirt and raced off to slide down the slide.

"Hopefully they enjoy it while it lasts," Rhuben murmured as she watched the boys. "Being on their first headlining tour…it can easily break them down."

"I think they can do it," Riley replied. "They wouldn't be the guys for nothing."

* * *

**A/N:** I know I ignored Katie and Mrs. Knight these past couple of chapters, but they get bigger parts starting with the next chapter. This was the last chapter in Hawaii and the story moves from Hawaii to Australia and the guys on tour. Now more drama can _really_ get started. Yeah, it's not at season 3 yet, but it's getting there. Not a huge fan of this chapter, but I like parts of it. In fact, I wish I just jumped right into the guys being on tour and DE being in Australia when the story started, but what's done is done, I probably won't feel that way later.

Yes, Riley and Rhuben have played beer pong before…what we think that we do a good job with our characters is that while they're trying to prove that they're not bad people, they will continue to do things that people will consider 'bad'. And at this point of their lives, they're not completely freaked out about people drinking more than they are about someone being _completely out of control _when they're drunk. DE are in a gray area of 'bad' versus 'good' but a bit more on the dark side. I hope that made sense.

Sidenote, I have nothing against LA and people there and what not, I'm only basing their opinions about the media and stuff from things that I have about the trends in media and celebrities nowadays so that's what I got it from. I hope you liked the chapter.

Oh and Rhu and I reference each other's stories all the time, so when it comes to origin stories as they're the same idea, but done different ways, we'll reference each other sometimes.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	8. Set

**.:Chapter 08:.**

* * *

_"Learn from the past, __set__ vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now." - Denis Waitley_

* * *

"I still can't believe that we're in London, right now," Mrs. Knight said. She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs at the knee. She looked at her daughter, who was busying herself with her phone, her thumbs flying over the keypad. "I've always wanted to come here." She brought her cup of tea to her mouth and took a sip, allowing the warm beverage to warm her hands. "It's a dream come true."

"Same here," Katie said slowly, her face still in her phone.

Mrs. Knight lowered her mug back to the table and looked around the café that she and Katie were perched at. Everyone around them seemed so calm, cool, and collected. She enjoyed being able to hear the different accents blend together with one another; it was so normal for them there, to Mrs. Knight, it was a treat. They had been in London for only a week; they had managed to get Gustavo to let them go early so they would be able to see some of the sights. Gustavo saw it as something that would benefit them, as he made sure the boys did as many TV spots and newspaper interviews as they could, to gather hype about _Elevate _and the tour. They seemed to be having a good time so far, though they were still a bit bummed about going on tour without their friends.

"Can I ask you something?" Mrs. Knight raised an eyebrow, immediately getting her daughter's attention.

Katie dropped her phone onto the table and pushed it away from her. She pointed her right index finger at the offending object. "I'm sorry for ignoring you, and I know that you _hate _phones at the table. But Lizzie won't stop asking me if there are any cute boys around and what sort of clothes there are here and-"

"I'm glad to see that you and Lizzie are talking agains, since you seemed sort of bummed that she had to focus so much of her attention on dance," Mrs. Knight said slowly. She smiled a little. "But that's not what I wanted to say.

"Oh." Katie blinked, reaching out to grab her phone again. She had heard about pickpockets in foreign countries and she wasn't going to be a victim. Not Katie Knight. Her whole life was on her phone, her work with the quick money schemes were on her phone, and it was a new iPhone. Unless she managed to score the newer model that was coming out in the next year (which she had some of the inside info on) she would fight tooth and nail over it. "What's up?"

"How do you think the boys are holding up?" Mrs. Knight watched Katie's face for any indication of what she was feeling. "With the Jacksons being in Australia and not on tour and everything."

"They're bummed," Katie said honestly. "I mean, after the party and when we were going to the airport on the way back to LA, they were all a lot quieter than usual. I mean, I'm sure for the Jacksons; it was for a different reason. They're taking a break for the first time in years. The guys understand that they need the break, there's no doubt about that, but at the same time, I guess they expected to do _everything _with them. They probably didn't think that there was ever going to be a time that they didn't go on tour, work on CDs, or do appearances together." Her eyebrows twitched. "That was kind of stupid on their part, but…"

_I wonder if she knows. _Mrs. Knight went back and forth, grappling with the decision of whether or not she should tell Katie what was the real reason that the Jacksons had gone back to Australia last minute, instead of going on tour. The innocent way Katie was talking about it was a clear indication she had no idea what was going on. Was it her place to say anything? Maybe not. However, it was probably the best way to explain the situation delicately rather than all at once. And when she thought that the boys could handle it, she would tell them too. _I just hope I'm doing the right thing._

"Mom. You're starting to scare me." Katie's voice jolted Mrs. Knight out of her thoughts. She turned to her daughter and saw that she was gazing at her with concern. "You got this, like, intense look on your face right now."

"Nothing." Sighing, Mrs. Knighted drew her hair . "I was just wondering whether or not I should tell you something." Katie perked up. Mrs. Knight laughed. "Well, now I guess I _have_ to tell you or else you'll be pestering me about it until I nod." Katie nodded. "Ok,"-Mrs. Knight's smile faded-"but you have to promise that you won't say a word to _anyone_ what I'm about to tell you. You can't even tell the boys until I'm sure that it's the right time for them to know. If you tell them when they're at the height of their stress, it's not going to help anyone."

Katie nodded again.

"Alright, well…" Mrs. Knight licked her lips, glanced at her daughter once more, then went for the plunge. "The real reason that the Jacksons went back to Australia…is because they're planning on announcing their abuse and their adoption by Ronan." Katie's mouth dropped open. "Some people were already starting to ask why Robert's been MIA, others have noticed that the Jacksons' last names have changed, others noticed that their signatures have changed. The questions are starting to become so much that there's really no way to hide it anymore."

"Oh." Katie's eyebrows lowered, her mouth puckered and tightened around the edges. She looked down at her phone, risking a glance from under her lashes at her mother. "How come they didn't say anything?"

"Did you really think they would?"

That question stumped Katie. Completely stumped her to the point that her mind was blank for a second. When thoughts finally started to race through her head, she realized that even though they were all friends now, the Jacksons still didn't completely trust them. _But why should they? _She asked herself. Yeah, it hurt her a bit to know that they had spent so much time trying to be friends and helped them through everything…but it made sense. They had to suffer beatings, name callings, mental torture, and brainwashing for years, how could they trust anyone with everything so soon. She felt worse for the boys than herself. Even though she was good friends with the Jacksons herself, she was realistic in knowing that they probably _couldn't_ completely open up in the way that they wanted. Not yet.

The boys, however, seemed to understand that, but was also in the mindset of thinking that having them admit that they were best friends immediately meant they would tell each other absolutely everything. They used the vacation to show their friendship and how they wanted things to get better now that Robert was gone. A way to start fresh. Before they left, Carlos went on and on about the party they had gone to and the slip-n-slid that Sydney had made, James didn't stop talking about the surfing that they did together, Logan talked about how he felt that he, Riley, and Rhuben had gotten their friendship back on track, and even Kendall was going on about something about best friends that she managed to tune out.

They success of the trip was unmistakable, their disappointment of not hearing about the Jacksons' decision first hand would be the same way.

"You've got a point," Katie agreed. Gathering her hair in her hands, she brought it over her shoulder and absentmindedly ran her fingers through it. "I think that would be good for them. Maybe it would take a big load off of their shoulders. They told us and Robert's gone, but the pressure from hiding it from their fans must be eating them alive."

"That's what Ronan was thinking too," Mrs. Knight agreed. "That's why he brought it up in the first place. Apparently, they're not having as much fun with music as they used to." She chuckled at the absurdity of the statement. "How can they? They were pushed so hard year after year I'm surprised they didn't completely quit."

"Yeah…" Katie spun her phone around in her hands. She looked around the streets around them. It was completely different from LA. Everything was; the ambience, the people, the food, the transportation. Everything in general. Gustavo did something right with having them work there for the time being. If there was any other place she would like to visit for the tour, it would probably be Canada. But London was the end all be al and she was there.

The revelation of the Jacksons' news was a bit of a damper, but they were doing what they thought was right and would help them in the long run. She couldn't fault them for that. She hoped things went well for them and she would be there as support whenever she was needed. But in the meantime, they were going on tour, which was some of the most exciting times in her life, and Katie wasn't going to waste a minute of it.

"Are you ready to go to The Eye now?" Katie put her phone away. She swung her legs to the side and moved to get out of her chair. She stopped in her tracks; her mother gave the impression of being over protective and that caused Katie to smile with pride. "C'mon Mom." She seized her mother's hand and pulled her out of her seat.

Hand in hand, mother and daugther strolled down the streets of London.

* * *

"That's all for today, see you next week."

Julius Jackson-McGuire finished his notes, using his right hand to reach up and close his textbook. When finished, he gathered everything together and haphazardly threw them into his backpack, and was then swept up with the crowd of students racing for the freedom of the weekend. He blended together with the surge of the crowd but was free once the group dispersed amongst the grounds of the lecture hall. Sauntering over to the bike rack, he shouldered his backpack, acknowledging those that called out his name.

Julius unlocked his bike, threw his leg over the seat, and kicked up the kick stand. Peeling away from the curb, he maneuvered his bike around the students that were walking and laughing with each other. Peddling gently, Julius sped across campus to his apartment. He passed university students along the way, most of them talking about what the weekend had in store for them.

He grinned. The gears in his bike turned furiously, powered by his excitement. The dark blue strands in his hair blew into his face, ticking his cheeks. Every day he would follow the same concrete path, leaving a path of crushed leaves and twigs in his wake. Seeing his apartment building looming closer, Julius stuck out his leg and placed it on the ground, using his weight to swing around a corner. He glided across the street, ignoring the horns that blared as he cut across two lanes of road. Julius slid into the bike rack and locked his bike up before hurrying up to his apartment.

"Hey," he greeted, warmly, kicking off his shoes. "Anyone here?"

"Yeah!"

Julius walked down the narrow hallway, dropping his backpack to the ground. Entering the living room, he was greeted with the sight of his girlfriend, Brittany, lying on the couch, reading a book, and the smell of one of his best friends, Matt, eating something out of a bowl.

"What _is_ that?" Julius's nose wrinkled almost immediately. He leaned over Matt's shoulder and peered into the bowl. Shaking his head, he backed up towards the couch. "Never mind, I don't think I want to know. It looks disgusting as it is." Julius dropped heavily onto the couch, purposefully crushing his girlfriend, who shrieked as the sudden weight dropped onto her.

"Julius Jackson, get your ass off me!" Brittany slapped him on the arm with her book. Julius laughed, raisin an arm to shield himself, his free hand fending off her blows. "I mean it! I'm not one of your siblings that you can jump on whenever you feel like it!"

"Really?" Matt looked up from his bowl. "I thought that was _exactly_ what a boyfriend was supposed to do." He and Julius laughed.

"You two are a bunch of bludgers!" Brittany scowled. "All you do is veg out."

"We go to class, thank you very much," Matt said indignantly. Using his feet to propel his chair around to face Julius, he pointed to the bowl that was on his lap. "And this is dip for my chips. Guacamole and all that."

"It smells disgusting." Julius managed to pry Brittany's book from her hand and hid it behind his back. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Anyway, how was your guys' classes today? Mine sucked balls, but of course that's nothing new." He got up from the couch and walked over to a soccer ball that was in the corner of the room. He picked it up with his foot and rolled it into his foot, juggling it back and forth with ease. "And where's Mike?" He bounced the ball up to his knees and started to dribble it there.

"He's in a late class today," Brittany brought her long legs up to her chest. Her blonde hair fanned around her face like a golden halo. "It says it on his schedule on the refrigerator." She pointed over her shoulder, though she didn't seem too bothered by the question.

"Oh yeah." Julius lost control of the ball and it flew across the room. Mat threw his hands into the air and grabbed the ball. He tossed it back over to Julius then set his food aside, getting to his feet. He clapped his hands together and wiggled his fingers, silently asking for the ball. Julius passed it over to him and then moved close as the two started to play a quick game of soccer.

"Not inside, boofheads!" Brittany cried, though she made no move to stop them. "We put in a damage deposit and I'm not going to be the one that has to pay for it!" She leaned over and smacked Julius on the ass. He reached his hand around his back, giving her the finger. Matt laughed loudly, elbowing Julius in the stomach so that he could move around him. He kicked the ball hard and it smacked into he wall above the swinging door to the kitchen.

"Goal!" Throwing his arms into the air, his celebration included falling to the floor on his stomach and flailing around.

"I should have listened to mom," Brittany said. She got up from the couch, picking up her book. Her tongue poked between her lips and her features scrunched up to complete the disparaging look. "I should have _never _moved in with a bunch of guys." She disappeared down the hallway to her room.

Julius watched her go, cuckling to himself. "Uh oh, I think I'm in trouble this time." Grasping Matt's arm, he lifted his friend to his feet and went to retrieve the ball. "Hey, where's Mike?"

"At class." Matt gave him a look of silent curiosity and nervous concern. "You asked that already?"

"I did?" Julius's dark brows raised then lowered. "Oh." He shrugged. "Oh well." He suddenly stopped and looked at his watch. "Geez, I forgot. I have to go to the airport!" He chest passed the ball to Matt and sped to his backpack to get his car keys. "I'll be back later tonight, don't wait up." Julius then walked to Brittany's room and knocked on the door. "Hey, do you want to go to the airport with me?"

She turned from her mirror, brushing out her hair. "Who are we getting?"

"A friend of my brothers and sisters," Julius explained. "Ronan thought that it would be a good surprise for them, especially since the Big Time Rush guys are starting their tour this weekend and they can't be there." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for his girlfriend's response. She made a humming sound as she thought about it. "Don't hurt yourself. I know that it can be traumatic for blondes to think sometimes."

The corners of Brittany's mouth twitched up. "Why are you always so mean to me?"

"I'm not being mean," Julius defended himself. "I don't mean any of that anyway. Now, would you _please_ accompany me to the airport to pick up my siblings' friend so they can be happy while they wait for the right time to make their announcement?" Sticking his lower lip out, he could see Brittany crack into a smile. She dropped her brush down onto the dresser top and turned to her boyfriend, grabbing onto his hands. Leaning back a little, she forced him to tighten his grip on her hands so he didn't drop her. "How are they doing?"

"Kinda nervous," Julius admitted.

There was no point in sugar coating it. He had never seen his brothers and sisters like this before. He had been there to greet them when they had gotten back from LA, after their trip to Hawaii, and they used most of the week to catch up on their sleep and the change in time zones. They were used to going back and forth from Australia and the US, but the jet lag fell on them, hard, each and every time. Now that the prospect of them revealing their biggest secret to the world was looming over their heads, he had never seen them so wrecked about it. Part of him was really proud that they were going to help themselves by announcing it, but another part of him was guilty. He hadn't been able to help them very much as the years went on. There were times where his siblings would appear on his apartment's doorstep and he hid them there amongst his friends (which could be awkward in its own right). It broke his heart to have Sydney climb into his bed at night; he could feel his baby brother's shivers through the mattress at every slight sound from the streets. He knew it wasn't his fault, after getting taken out of the hospital and being placed with his grandparents, Teak and Rose Jackson, it became evident that at their age they couldn't become the legal guardian to more than Julius and with no other living relatives, his brothers and sisters were unjustly put into foster care.

Julius then made it his mission to be able to help them the best that he could the only way he could; he studied hard for an education and he got a job. The education was to be able to have a good shot at a better life and the job was to have money for himself as well as to send to his siblings.

Brittany noticed the look on his face and let go of one of his hands, resting it on the back of his neck. "You know they don't hate you for what happened."

"I know," Julius admitted. "But it's still hard." He let out a deep breath and then smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "So let's get going so we can see their bright and shining faces attack some other sucker besides me." Brittany laughed and grabbed her wallet before following Julius out of the room and into the main area of the apartment. "We'll be back later tonight, let Mike know where we are, yeah?"

"No worries," Matt called back. He was standing in front of the TV, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched a rugby back. His feet still juggling the soccer ball back and forth.

Julius led Brittany outside and the two climbed into his car and headed to the airport. He let out a heavy sigh, gripping the steering wheel. _I hope this works._

* * *

Step, step, glide. Turn back. Pop the feet. Swing the arms. Body roll. Pop it up.

Logan counted the steps as he moved across the polished hardwood floor. His t-shirt stuck to his body with sweat, his sweatpants bunched around his ankles, hanging loosely off of his butt, his face was flushed and sweat was pouring down his cheeks. He wasn't going to stop until he had everything down perfectly. He needed to be sure that this first show was going to be good. They worked too hard, it was their first time overseas, they had to make sure they didn't let any of their rushers down.

"Logan?"

Logan turned around to see James standing in the doorway of the dance studio. He inched inside, the door slamming behind him. Logan walked over to the boom box and turned it off. His panting filled the air; he reached over for his water bottle and lifted it to his mouth, gulping it down in seconds. He nodded over at James, who had stopped a few feet away from him, looking at him curiously.

"What're you doing?"

Logan dropped his water bottle back to the ground. "Practicing," he replied. He swung his arms back and forth, his body rocking with the motion. "I want to be sure that I have this combination right."

"Hi-Hat said that we were ready for the show," James reminded him. His eyebrows furrowed together, his hazel eyes roving over Logan's face, searching for an explanation to what he was really feeling. "That _you _were ready." Logan's upper lip curled and he turned away. James walked over and placed his hand on Logan's shoulder. "Logan-"

"What if I'm not meant for this?" Logan's question caught James off guard. "What if I'm wasting my time with you guys and I'm really only good at being a doctor?" He turned around to face James, chewing on his lower lip. "I don't want to hold anyone back. Gustavo's annoyed that I can't dance, Rhu gets annoyed whenever I try to perfect everything…I just want to be sure that I'm not holding you guys back."

James frowned. When had he, Kendall, or Carlos ever said anything about Logan holding them back? Where did that even come from? Sure, Logan wasn't the best dancer of the four of them, but he worked hard and he made sure that they followed the schedule Mama Knight had made up for them. That's where he shined, and he gave his all onstage. James had never seen him have a bad day when they were performing, there was always a bright smile on his face and he interacted with everyone well. "What?"

That was all that he could get out.

One word.

That explained everything that he was feeling.

James ran a hand through his hair. "I don't get it, Logan. You hadn't said anything about it before. What's really bothering you?" Logan was silent for a long time.

"I was just thinking about the success of our band and I, honestly, don't get it," Logan said slowly, studying James's reaction. "I mean, yeah, I guess we're good. But I don't get why the fans like us so much. We're not professional, we haven't been doing this as long as everyone else-"

"Everyone has to start somewhere," James cut in.

"But wanting to be a doctor, a hockey player, and…whatever Carlos waned to be?" Logan scratched the back of his neck. "We're never taken seriously because you were the only one that really wanted this. Kendall, Carlos, and I…we want it too, but at what cost? The cost of our privacy? Having everything we do be put out in the media? Being compared to every other boy band that's ever come up in the world? It just makes it glaringly obvious that it's nothing that's my 'thing'." He pointed at James. "This is your thing."

"But I couldn't do it without you guys," James reminded him. He shook his head. "Remember when we were kids and I was kinda chubby?" He raised an eyebrow as Logan smiled a little. James Diamond hadn't always been 'the face' of their group of friends. There was a time where he wasn't as perfect as everyone thought he was. "You guys were the ones that talked me into playing hockey with you all and to work out to lose all of te weight so I wouldn't be teased anymore. I couldn't have done any of that without your guys' help."

"So you're saying that _we're _the reason why you're so insufferably vain?" Logan cocked an eyebrow.

James gave a half smile. "What I'm saying is that everything that we've managed to accomplish, it's been because we've had each other's backs." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked pointedly at Logan. "Being a doctor may be your passion, but you love this as much as the rest of us do. I understand that you don't want to make a fool of yourself out onstage in front of a different group of people, but you're not." He reached out and poked Logan in the chest. "I'm not going to let you."

He looked down at his outfit for a moment before pulling off his t-shirt, revealing a black wife beater underneath. He rolled up the bottoms to his pants so that they rested above his knees and then started to stretch his arms. "What're you doing?" Now it was Logan's turn to ask.

"You want to be sure that you're ready for our first show out here and I'm going to help you," James explained, stretching his arms over his head. "Even if it takes all night." He dropped his arms to his sides. "We're a band. We're best friends. We're brothers. I'm not going to let anything get you guys down without a fight." He shrugged. "I mean, I really have _you _guys to thank for everything so…yeah, let's get started." He rubbed his hands together. "What part do you need help with the most?"

Logan closed an eye, rubbing the back of his neck. "The whole thing," he said sheepishly.

James blinked once. "Well, looks like we may be spending the night here." He laughed and clapped Logan on the shoulder. "Don't worry, dude, we'll have this perfected in no time, I promise."

Logan moved back to his position for the start of the song, waiting for James to rewind it and started it up again. He closed his eyes, slowly letting out his breath. He could do this. He could do this. All he had to do was remind himself that he had the support of his friends on stage and in spirit.

* * *

**A/N: **I realized that I had BTR's reactions to DE not going on tour with them and taking a break to be a bit lackluster and rushed (ha) so I explained it a bit better here. Anyway, I hope to show more of Julius and Brittany as the story go on, and thought that starting it here would be a really good idea. So I hope you guys liked the chapter, first time I did some characterization for Julius, so I'm excited for that.

And some Jagan bonding, I usually don't ever show that, so I hope that you liked that small bit. There's more bonding with the guys as the chapters of the tour goes on. I'm probably not going to show anything from BTMovie, but just mentioned or referred to here and there.

Next chapter will be longer.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	9. Go

**.:Chapter 09:.**

_Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." ~Mother Theresa_

* * *

"Great show, guys, great show!"

"Man that was awesome!"

"Amazing crowd, too."

Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James walked back to their dressing room, the screams and cheers from the audience still audible even from that far backstage. London Rushers were nothing to joke about. They were just as energetic and crazy as their American Rushers were. If this was the beginning of their tour, they couldn't even fathom what else could happen. Mrs. Knight, Katie, Kelly, and Gustavo met them in the dressing room. They had all been talking amongst themselves and clapped and cheered when the guys entered the room.

"Great job, boys!" Mrs. Knight beamed as she passed out towels to the four teenage boys. She had a large, proud smile on her face, the pride reaching her eyes as she gazed at them. "I think it's the best one that you've ever done."

"Yeah," Katie agreed. "It's the most energetic I've ever seen you guys."

"And you _better_ keep it up!" Gustavo added, his voice booming through the room. The others winced, moving to cover their ears, but Gustavo continued, undeterred. "The rest of the tour is riding on your guys. You need to make sure it's perfect!" To punctuate his thought, he slapped a fist into his open palm. "This is your second album, your second tour, but your first complete headlining tour, we need to show the world that Big Time Rush is a band that needs to be taken seriously."

"Gustavo's right," Kelly spoke up. She turned away from the Palm Pilot that was forever in her hand. "There are still many people around, music critics, other bands, people you haven't heard of, that don't think that you can make it because you're a boy band."

"They think we can't just because we're a boy band?" Carlos repeated, his eyebrows rising. "What does being a boy band have to do with anything?"

"Well, the last boy band that was really big was Nsync," Katie spoke up. She bobbed her head back and forth. "Or the Backstreet boys, depending on which you preferred." She held up a finger. "The point is, when they started to break up, pop music, and the boy band was on its way out. You guys are bringing it back, and are at a good spot in the pop revival." She shrugged. "Some people just don't see the monetary, or musical, merit in the boy band."

"I'm guessing you're only saying that because you managed to make a lot of money today," James remarked. He roughed a towel over his head before draping it around him like a tent. Looking up at her through his fringe and the towel, he gave a charming smile. "You charged for autographs again, didn't you?"

"No." Katie pouted. "Mom says I can't do that anymore." Mrs. Knight smiled and reached over, running her hand through Katie's hair. "But I listened to what a lot of fans were saying out in the audience while they were waiting for you to come on, they reacted pretty much the same way that your fans back in the US do. How you're their heroes, you changed their lives, and you saved them…you deserve a lot more credit than you guys get. Seriously."

"Thanks Baby Sister," Kendall said. He yawned loudly. "So are we going to head to the hotel now or signing autographs or what?" He looked like he could handle anything that Gustavo and Kelly would make them do. But at the moment, he was exhausted. The first night on any tour, even if it was just one show that they were doing for promotion, he gave it his all and left everything on stage. It was now crashing down on him and he felt like he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"We're going to go straight to the hotel," Kelly said. She gave the boys a sympathetic smile, realizing how tired they must have been.

But she and Gustavo were nothing but proud of them. They had been watching from the side of the stage, as opposed to being in the audience with all of the screaming fans, and were excited to see how well the guys had performed. Their costumes were great and went over well, the trampolines that they added onto their stage set up was a hit, and even the pyro went off without a hitch. The backup band they had hired before the tour started played perfectly and amped up the crowd well, even between songs and costumes changes. The first night couldn't have gone any better.

For any of them.

"Sweet, we can sleep!" Carlos cheered, throwing his hands into the air. "Then we can plan what we're going to do on our day off coming up." He turned a critical eye to Mrs. Knight and Katie. "So _we _can finally go sightseeing and meet some people instead of being stuck working all the time."

"Hey! If you didn't work hard, you wouldn't have had a good show!" Gustavo reminded them. "Remember that. In the music industry, you can be at the top one minute, and fall into obscurity the next." Gustavo's comment sobered the room. When Katie had said it before, coming from a younger girl that had only been a consumer of music, it didn't seem like it was something that was possible. Just a far off dream. But when Gustavo said it, it was nothing short of possible. Gustavo had seen many bands and singers rise and fall, his own bands falling under the same fate. He knew what he was talking about more than anyone else. Gustavo studied each face around him, his eyes narrowing when he noticed Kelly's point stare. "Well, they needed to hear it. They had a good show, but they shouldn't get a big head about."

Gustavo took one last sweeping glance over the room and waved a hand, motioning for everyone to follow behind them. Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James talked quietly together as they followed him, grabbing the bags of their personal belongings as they went. Carlos even grabbed a bowl of junk food that had been left as a gift for them, rummaging through it as they went. Mrs. Knight and Katie followed, bringing up the rear.

The boys followed Kelly and Gustavo through the winding lower tunnels of the concert arena and out to the loading dock where their buses were. They had two buses; one for James and Carlos, one for Kendall and Logan, Mrs. Knight and Katie, obviously, stayed with Kendall and Logan. Kelly and Gustavo had their own mode of transportation; sometimes it was a limo, sometimes they took helicopters, sometimes they took buses. That day, they had their own limo, as they were doing a couple more shows in London before they went anywhere else. Then everyone would be travelling by private jet. Midway through the tour, Mrs. Knight, and Katie were going to go back to LA while the guys continued one, but they'd be back for the show in Canada, before going back to LA while the guys finished the tour.

There was a large calendar that James and Carlos had set up in their bus; so that they would be able to see how many days of concerts they had as well as how many days they had off. They could plan their days off ahead of time as well as figure out what time would be best for them to get the best amount of sleep as they traveled. Each of the buses was styled the same way; two floors with bunk beds, a 'kitchen', and a bathroom on the bottom floor. The top floor held the 'lounge' and the 'game room' as well as closets for them to hang their clothes if they had to change on the bus. They had been stocked with food as well as electronics and video games so that they could promote those companies (Such as Nintendo) and keep from being bored at the same time. Gustavo had found that for their first tour, it wasn't a good idea if they were bored for extended periods of time.

"Gustavo, don't you think that you could have been a bit more…sympathetic about all of this?" Kelly said as she click-clacked in her heels beside him, keeping up at a power walk. "It's their first headlining tour, they're already nervous; you don't have to make it worse."

"What'll make it worse is if they think that they can just get everything they want and see nothing but success," Gustavo grunted. "Even if they're already heard of, they need to make a name here." Gustavo shook his head. "They were fine with the fans at the airport, they handled the mob well. I don't want them to get big heads and think that they have to stop working hard."

"Gustavo." Kelly reached out a hand and tried to grab onto him, to get him to stop, but he kept going. "Is there something wrong? It seems like you're worried about more than they getting big egos."

"I don't want them to fail," Gustavo said. "Plain and simple. Egos can do that. Someone thinking they need to go solo early can do that. And the dogs can get even a small fight over a stupid video game controller to mess with their heads. A little extra attention will be like a bomb going off in their faces. They don't need it."

Kelly tilted her head back to the sky and shook her head. There was no point in discussing the matter further. It was quite clear that Gustavo cared about the boys more than he would admit. In fact, he probably thought of all of them as his sons, if not his little brothers that could easily get under his skin. Gustavo loved his dogs, Kelly could see that. The boys may not have been able to, but she did. He would do anything and everything he could to make sure that they wouldn't get the short end of the stick in the industry. Sure, they had been passed up for some awards and recognition so far, but he still had high hopes for them and everything that they could accomplish.

"Don't let anyone tell you that you're heatless, Gustavo," Kelly said with a laugh. Gustavo reached out and shoved Kelly on the shoulder. Stumbling on her heels, she fought to catch her balance before glaring over at Gustavo. "Hey! I'm not Ronan; you can't just push me around like that!" She stuck her nose in the air. "I'm dainty."

"Ha!" Gustavo laughed out loud. She had proven many times before that she was _anything _but dainty. "That's a joke." The two settled down and the others fell in step with them. Everyone was in pretty good spirits, considering the show.

They all talked a mile a minute as they climbed onto their buses and started to leave the arena. Many fans stayed behind and as they turned a corner, the guys, in their individual buses, could see a massive wave of fans cheering, screaming, and waving signs as they carefully went by. Some fans even moved up to the sides of the buses and started to slap the metal as loud as they could. The boys waved and smiled to as many of their fans as they could as the buses pulled out and headed onto the road. It didn't take long until they pulled up at the hotel.

But that's where the trouble started.

As soon as the boys got off of the bus, they could ear screaming and thudding footsteps heading their way. Mrs. Knight, Kelly, Gustavo, and Katie quickly headed into the hotel as the guys were surrounded by their fans. They, gratefully, started to sign autographs.

"How'd they know that we were going to be staying here?" Carlos asked as he posed for a picture before turning to another fan and singing the poster that she had shoved into his face.

"Who knows," Logan replied. "Fans can be really creepy with the things that they're able to accomplish." He rolled his shoulders before he was grabbed and pulled into another throng of girls. "Remember those girls that followed James into the bathroom?"

"Hey, that wasn't that bad," James defended himself. "_I _liked it anyway."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "That's because you'd like the chance to be with _any_ girl, no matter how many of them that are vying for your attention at once." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Which explains why you're always so _friendly_ with Riles and Rhubes."

James flashed him a winning smile. "You don't have to be jealous."

"Who's jealous?"

"Someone sounds jealous to me," Carlos sing-songed.

"Shut up," Kendall replied.

The boys finished signing autographs and headed inside. Once there, they were stopped by a few more fans, and then went over to the front desk. One look at Mrs. Knight and they could see that something was very wrong. "What's up?" Kendall's eyes moved from his mother to the ma that was working the front desk. He looked just as annoyed as Gustavo, Kelly, and Mrs. Knight. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course there's something wrong," the man replied, his accent also carrying the tinge of annoyance. "You blokes are what's wrong."

"Excuse me?" Kendall blinked, raising an eyebrow. He turned to glance at his friends, who had bewildered looks on their faces. What could they have possibly done by just stepping into the hotel? There was no way in hell that they could have offended London that quickly. However, the man did seem particularly perturbed about something. And the continued screaming from outside caused his face to redden even further.

"Your presence is causing a ruckus and has been for hours before you've arrived," the man continued. "I already told your mum and you sister here, that we have had complaints all day with your…_fans_,"-the manager gave each of the boys a dismissive glance-"running around the hotel, banging their fists on every door, and waking up our other guests, just to find you."

"But we really can't help-"Kelly started.

"I already told you, love, you can't stay here. Not when all of these fans are running around, trying to find you." The man straightened his shoulders and smile, showing off his misshapen, yellowing teeth. "Now I know of another hotel that I can recommend for you lot, where none of your fans would be able to find you so easily."

"Just book it!" Gustavo spat. "And thanks for _all _of your help!" He added sarcastically. Reaching out, he grabbed his credit card off the counter with a loud scratching sound and whirled away from the counter. Muttering obscenities under his breath, Gustavo waved an arm and led everyone outside.

"Wow, that's probably the quietest that I've ever heard him," Carlos said to the guys. "Especially since something went wrong."

"Better enjoy it now," Logan remarked. "It's not going to last long."

"I heard that!" Gustavo snapped. Whirling around to face him, he ripped off his sunglasses, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "And I would have a _lot _to say, in a very _loud_ voice, for a very _long_ time if it wasn't for the fact that one more ticket of disturbing the peace, and I could be permanently banned from London."

James started to laugh. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Kelly shot out before Gustavo could yell at him. "Trust me when I say, this isn't the first time that something like this has happened."

"But that fucking sucks!" Kendall blurted out. Katie gasped and started laughing and Mrs. Knight sent Kendall a reproachful look. "Sorry, Mom, but it does." His eyes were narrowed in a glare and he looked pissed. He was breathing heavily through his nose, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Any second and he would go inside and let the receptionist have a piece of his mind. And to quote Gustavo, it would be a in a very loud, very angry voice for a very long time. No one messed with his friends and got away with it. He could care less if any of that happened to him, if it was just him, but they were being judged before anything, just because they were a band and there were a lot of overzealous fans that wanted to meet them, they were being blacklisted form a hotel.

It was worse than when Bitters first had them in the PalmWoods.

"I understand that sweetie, but you have to pick and choose your battles," Mrs. Knight said sympathetically. "And this is something that you shouldn't try and fight." She reached over and gave her son a kiss on the cheek. Kendall scowled, but unwittingly got back onto the bus. Gustavo directed the driver to another hotel. It was, visibly, of less quality than the five star hotel they were at before. But at that time of night, coming off of an adrenaline rush from the show, they were too tired to complain about it.

At least, until they checked in and caught sight of the room. There were two lamps by the beds, once turned on it game a musty yellow glow around the room, there were two beds in one room, the curtains were dusty, and the state of the floors didn't seem to particularly be that much better. James planted his feet in the doorway, refusing to go any further. His hazel eyes widened.

"This is like some…cellar…dungeon…basement shit," James remarked doing a once over the room. His upper lip curled in disgust. Kendall, Logan, and Carlos trudged into the room. "There's poor lighting, I won't be able to do my nightly routine of checking my pores and cleaning my face." He dropped his bag to the ground. "And if you think I'm actually going to _use_ the water here, then you're mistaken."

"Well, we don't have a choice," Logan said. "Besides, we have a ninety percent chance of all hotels being better than this one. I think you can suck it up for a couple of nights." Even so, Logan pulled out a small first aid kit. He brought out a package of sanitizing napkins, unfolded it, and wiped down the bedside table, his hands, and his face before putting anything down. He then carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, testing the springs before taking off his shoes and curling up into a ball on the bed. "I'm so tired."

"Am I only one that's pissed about this?" Kendall demanded.

"Did you not fucking hear me when I said that this is, like, a fucking cellar-basement?" James demanded. "I'm _not_ sleeping here."

Carlos finally lost his cool. "We don't have a fucking choice, James! So sit down and go to sleep." He pulled of his shoes and socks, tossing them to the ground and climbed onto the bed next to Logan. He picked up a pillow and pulled it onto his chest, curling up into a ball. Pressing his face into the pillow, his cheek was bunched up, his pout deepening.

James rolled his eyes, sighing loudly to emphasis his disappointment, and walked over to the bed that was closer to the window. He placed his bag on the floor and unzipped it, quickly rooting through it. Pulling out two bandanas, he wrapped one around the back of his head so that it covered his mouth, and the other was tied around his head to protect his hair. He inched his way onto the bed, his long legs hanging over the edge, and sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

"There's no way that this night could get any worse," Kendall said. Reaching over, he turned off the lamplight and plunged the room into darkness. Shifting onto his side, he made sure that he didn't roll over into James's space on the bed. He could feel James trying to get comfortable as well.

"It could," Carlos's voice piped up from the darkness. "According to a brochure I was reading when we checked in, this hotel is apparently haunted."

"Shut up, Carlos!"

* * *

"Thanks for picking me up from the airport," Jo Taylor said with a bright smile as she placed her suitcase into the back of Julius's corvette. She walked around the side of the car and smiled warmly at Julius and Brittany, the warm, salty air tugging at her hair and clothes. Her brown eyes shined behind her pink tinted sunglasses. "I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to be able to find my way to your guys'." She gave a little, embarrassed smile. "Especially since your address is unlisted and everything."

"No worries, Jo," Julius reassured her. "We're glad to pick you up."

"And to be able to have you stick around for a while," Brittany added. "I'm sure that having some friends with them while they announce everything will really put a smile on their faces." She shrugged, and then glanced at Julius then to Jo again. "That's what we're hoping anyway."

"Yeah, I can't believe that they're going to go along with that," Jo agreed. "Frankly, I thought that they would keep it to themselves for as long as they could."

"Ronan suggested that it would help them on their road to recover and I think it could," Julius said. "Being able to have more people see what it is that they were going through…being able to face it head on and probably bond more with their fans could speed it up, you know what I'm saying?"

Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess," Jo replied. She didn't get it, not exactly, but with the Jacksons, there was always something that she didn't particularly understand. There was always something that was kept secret until she was let in on it. He understood it completely; she was sort of the same way, but in a completely different situation. Her father being a CIA agent, there were a _lot_ of things that she couldn't talk about. Most of the time, she didn't about it, other times the pressure just became too great for her to ignore. "Well, I guess we should get going."

"Good thinking." Julius unlocked the driver's side door and leaned the seatback forward so Jo could climb into the backseat. Once she was settled inside, he pushed the seat back into its original position and climbed in as well, stretching his long legs out so that his feet reached the pedals. Before starting the car, he leaned over and gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek, causing her to roll her eyes, again, and pushed his face away.

Julius chuckled to himself before starting the car and backing out of the parking space.

Jo smiled, rolling down the window, and stuck her head out, watching as the buildings and trees whipped by. She had only been in Australia for a few minutes, and she could already see why the Jacksons loved to be home so much. The atmosphere was very relaxing; there was blue sky with fluffy white clouds, mixed in with the yellow-white rays of sunlight along with it. Being there just _made _you feel happier. She was even more excited to be able to see her friends, to surprise them, and to be able to celebrate Sydney's birthday with them as well.

Jo pulled her phone from her pocket and texted her mother and father to let them know that she had arrived safely. Then she texted Camille and Stephanie in a group message.

**Jo: **Heyyy. Made it to Australia safe and sound. I'll definitely send you guys some pics after I get settled in.

**Camille: ***Sigh* so jealous that you get to go. But I've got some auditions that I can't miss.

**Stephanie: **Same here. I got some dancing auditions that I'm doing while I wait to get started on their routines. And I'm going back home for a bit to see my Mom and my brother. But tell everyone I say 'hi'.

**Camille: **Me too! Me too! Tell em' I want them to bring the whole country back with them as a souvenir.

**Jo: ***rolls eyes* Ok. I'll be sure to get it all stuffed into my suitcase. Also, when you talk to the guys, tell them 'hi' for me.

**Camille: **Why don't you just tell them to yourself? Have you not talked to Kendall at all since you left?

Jo twisted her mouth to the side. She hadn't really talked to him at all, no. She wasn't sure what to even say to him. They had said a lot of things when they broke up and she went to New Zealand, and that was a lot of baggage to leave behind. She was scared to even try and talk to him, in case it would open another can of worms. She missed him that was true, she missed everyone. She had been in love with Kendall and she tried her hardest to tell him before she left. She had the feeling that he was trying to say it too. But if either of them had said it, she knew that she wouldn't have gotten on that plane and she probably would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

**Stephanie: **Nice job, 'Mille, you scared her off. This is what happens when you become an actress, you get so many different kinds of people in your head with so many impulses that you don't know when you keep your mouth shut. XD

**Camille: **I was just asking a question, Steph. Geez. Like you haven't put your foot in your mouth before, Miss. PalmWoods Ghost.

**Stephanie: **? What does that have to do with anything?

Jo smiled as she watched Camille's and Stephanie's fake fight come up, text after text, on her phone. She really did miss talking to them. Maybe she had been in New Zealand too long…Jo shook her head, pushing the thought away returning to her phone.

**Jo: **No. I haven't really talked to Kendall since I left. We just lost touch. I think things will get better if we do start talking again. But right now I'm getting ready to go surprise the Jacksons. I'll talk to you guys later tonight after I get settled in. I just wanted you to know that I got in safe and sound.

**Camille: **Have fun, girl. You're going to have to call me sometime later, I have a lot of line learning for tonight and I need to stay focused. *clenches hand into fist and slowly brings it down while closing eyes dramatically.

**Stephanie: **lol Call me whenever, I'm free to talk.

**Jo: **Thanks guys. I'll talk to you later.

Jo checked the battery on her phone before bringing up another text, addressing it to Kendall. She sucked her lips into her mouth, sucking in a deep breath through her nose. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back so that it rested on the headrest. An image of Kendall's smiling face popped into her head. She could feel the familiar emotions running back to her, the happiness and excitement that she felt whenever she was with him was so familiar and just felt so right. Did she really want to give into those feelings and jeopardize her job and everything she worked hard for?

At the moment, she wasn't sure.

Jo put her phone away, tucking it into her pocket. She looked up, catching Brittany's gaze in the rearview mirror and the older teenage girl smiled at her warmly. Jo smiled back. She hadn't gotten to know Julius or Brittany very well, just the time that he had been around when Robert had been sent to jail, a few times when the Jacksons were on a video chat with him, and what little she saw them in TV interviews. They were nice enough, she could see how different Julius was from his siblings, in their personalities as he hadn't gone through what they did, but he had similar mannerisms as well. Though he was pretty outgoing, he was fiercely protective and worrisome over whom his brothers and sisters called friends.

"So what do you want to do while you're out here?" Brittany twisted around in her seat to address Jo face to face. "There's a lot that you can do, so no worries if you can't think of anything," she added, seeing the bewildered look on Jo's face. Brittany lowered her voice. "I hope you brought a lot of swimmers though. These guys love to go to the beach more than you think and there're a lot of spunky guys out here."

"Britt!" Julius shot a look at her.

"What?" Jo's nose wrinkled. She giggled as Brittany stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend. "Sorry, what does 'spunky' mean here?"

"It means hot, sexy, really attractive, a god's send…" Brittany started to list off.

"It doesn't mean that!" Julius said quickly. "Jo, don't listen to her. The first three are true, but we don't have a slang word for 'god's send'."

"Julius Jackson, you're just jealous," Brittany teased, reaching out her hand to poke him in the cheek. Julius grabbed her hand and brought it over to him, kissing the back of it.

"Yeah, yeah." Julius dropped her hand, placing it back on the wheel. Jo smiled as she watched the two of them interact with each other. It was obvious that they really cared about each other. It was a stark contrast to the way that Julius's siblings interacted with others, Julius was more open and inviting, while his siblings were a bit more closed off and sarcastic. Having gotten to know them, she could see how it was more of a shield to keep from getting hurt, but the way that they all grew up was now more evident than ever.

"Babe, you missed the exit," Brittany commented, pointing over Julius's shoulder. He frowned, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "It's written here." She picked up a sheet of paper from the top of the dashboard, by the windshield.

_It's his house, what does he need directions for? _Jo watched as Julius twisted his mouth to the side, something that was apparently passed on to all six Jacksons, and took the next left when the exit came up. Jo leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs at the knee and waited quietly for the rest of the car ride. When the car pulled up the driveway, she leaned against the window once more, looking up at the large house. It wasn't a mansion, but it was still a really big house for all of them to live in. There was definitely enough space for them to have as many guests as they could fit in every corner.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," Julius said. He turned off the car and he and Brittany climbed out. He pulled the seat forward and Jo climbed out. She closed the driver's side door behind her, turning to take her suitcase as Brittany handed it to her. The three went up to the front door and Julius motioned for her to stay out of sight as he opened the door and went inside.

"Hey guys!" He called as the three entered the house. He closed the door behind them and kicked off his shoes, leaving them in the pile by the door. He then placed his keys on a hook by the door. At the sound of his voice, loud barking was heard from the backyard, causing Jo to jump. "That's just Rugby. He likes to think that he's still a puppy when he's a grown dog."

"They have a lot of pets here, by the way," Brittany added. "Three dogs, a cat, and a rabbit."

"Wow."

"Hello?" Julius called again.

"Hold on!" Ronan called back. There was a scraping sound from the kitchen, but before he could appear around the corner, there was the thundering sound of footsteps from all corners of the house. Jo blinked before she recognized the voices of her friends.

"Julius!" She heard Noah called, speaking louder than she normally heard.

"I get to hug him first!" Rhuben added.

"No, it's my turn!" Sydney whined.

Jo laughed. Riley, Rhuben, and Noah came racing down from upstairs and Patrick and Sydney barreled around the corner from where Ronan's voice was coming from. The five siblings raced over to Julius, all crushing him in a bear hug and talking a mile a minute, vying for his attention. Julius smiled and gave each of them a hug, as well as answering their questions and bantering back at them. They then turned their attention to Brittany, who did the same. Ronan came up behind them quietly, nodding and smiling at Jo, who nodded back.

Sydney was the first one to notice her. "Joey!" He cried before crushing his arms around her waist in a hug.

"Hey Syd." Jo gave him a hug back before placing her suitcase on the ground. She was surprised when the others willingly stepped forward and gave her a hug as well. Normally they didn't like to be hugged so much but as she had seen before since the trial, they had opened up to start enjoying touches from other people. Most times they still needed someone to warn them that they were going to hug them or high-five them, in case a sudden movement made them flinch or shake or cower away. "How are ya?"

"Good." He smiled, his dimples appearing. "How ya going?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Kinda tired, but fine."

Riley and Ruben gave her warm hugs, which she was happy about as well. When she first met them, they were cold to her and Camille, But even more open than they were with the guys. They didn't learn until later that they became friends with girls faster than guys and it showed. But still, the twin girls had never really been 'huggy' people before so it was enamoring to see how happy they were to see her. Patrick and Noah gave her gentle hugs as well before stepping back so that they could all talk to Jo.

"What are you doing here?" Noah asked the question that was evident on all of their faces.

"What?" Jo placed her hands on her hips, copping an attitude. "Are you not happy to see me?"

"We didn't say that," Patrick said quickly. He was leaning against the banister, watching her intently. "We just wondered why you're here." A playful smile slid onto his face before he turned to look at Ronan over his shoulder. "It has something to do with that bloke, right?"

"Oh, so I'm just a 'bloke' now?" Ronan didn't take any offence to his tone.

"Well, you told me to lay off the old jokes, so that was just as good." Patrick shrugged, his smile widening at Jo's giggle. He exchanged a glance with Riley, who raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. "Not really, but I figured that I'd cut him some slack some time."

"It's not going to last long, though," Sydney added, his arms still around Jo's waist. His eyes widened, his head turning to look back and forth from Jo, to Julius, to Brittany, to Ronan. "Hang on a tick! Are you here for my birthday?"

Jo smoothed her hair behind her ears and nodded. "Yeah, I'm here for that."

Ronan spoke up. "And because I thought that if you guys were going to do something really hard, that it would be good if you had some support." He raised a hand, pointing at Jo as his kids all turned and looked at him with varying degrees of curiosity. "No doubt that you'd probably want to have the boys here,"-his eyes moved over to Jo-"no offence,"-he looked back at his kids-"but I knew that you wouldn't expect them to drop their tour just for you. And since Jo has some time off from her movie…well, it's not that hard to figure out."

"Cool!" Sydney turned back to Jo and grabbed onto her hand. "Come see my room, it's really ace!"

"Don't you think that she'd want to get settled in first, Little Man?" Riley walked up behind her baby brother and unhooked his arms from Jo's waist, pulling him back away from her. She ran a hand through his hair. "She can see your room later."

"Ok." Sydney seemed a little disappointed, but accepting.

"We'll show you to the room," Rhuben said with a tilt of her head. She and Riley turned and started up the stairs. Jo reached for her bag, but Patrick beat her to it, easily lifting it off of the floor with his right hand.

"Thanks." Jo smiled at him. "That's nice of you."

Patrick shrugged modestly. "Ronan wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I let you try and drag it up the stairs yourself." He followed his sisters up the stairs and into a room that was decked out in a creamy, light blue color and black that adorned the walls.

"This used to be Julius's room," Rhuben explained, sitting down on the bed. "And it still is, but we used it as an extra guest room too." She gently kicked her legs back and forth. She noticed the look of distress on Jo's face. "No worries, while school is going on, he stays at the apartment that he shared with Brittany and his two best friends Matt and Mike. He's only really here when it's a break from school."

"What about you guys?" Jo rubbed her neck, suddenly feeling tired. "When do you go back to school?"

"Ronan says not until after we make the announcement," Riley said. She leaned against the windowsill. Crossing her arms over her chest and extending her legs so that she could cross them too, she regarded Jo, a half smile on her face. "Which has to be soon, especially because it's summer over in the US, but winter here. Our winter break is ending soon." She raised a finger and swirled it in the air. "You can tell we're _so _excited to go back."

Patrick snorted. "You can say that again." He nodded to the girls before leaving the room.

"School's not so bad, it's just going to be weird going back to school and know that everyone is going to know at that point," Rhuben said. She brought her arms up to encircle her knees, a haunted look coming to her eyes. Jo waited for her to say something else, but she rested her chin on her knees and stayed silent, letting out a slight sigh through her nose. After a moment, she sat up and turned to Riley, raising her eyebrows.

Riley lowered hers and then scrunched up her nose. Rhuben pursed her lips, sucked them into her mouth, and narrowed her eyes. Riley paused for a minute, and then tilted her head to the side, widening her eyes slightly. Rhuben shifted hers, then sighed and nodded.

"You know I hate it when you do that," Jo spoke up, pointing back and forth between the two of them.

"That's why we do it," the girls chorused.

Jo threw her head back and laughed. She went over to her suitcase and opened it, starting to unpack. Behind her, she could hear Riley and Rhuben whispering to each other. She ignored it. No matter how hard these next few days were going to be, no matter how hard they tried to push her away, she was going to take a note from Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James and not take 'no' for an answer.

They were her friends and they at least deserved that.

* * *

**A/N: **Huh, writing the guys on tour is harder than I anticipated. I hope you guys weren't too bored with their part; I have plans for them for other chapters and I didn't want it to focus only on DE and Jo. And…I have to stop caring about chapter lengths. As long as I feel that it's gotten the things I wanted to show, it should be fine. Though really short ones do bug me.

Oh and Rugby was mentioned here. Thing is, according to our timeline, Kendall gives Riley her new dog, Spencer, during season 2. But because I had forgotten to put it in my last story (and because we hadn't had the timeline fleshed out at that point) I need to put it in this one.

I hope you guys liked the chapter and I'll update again soon.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	10. Wrong

**.:Chapter 10:.**

* * *

_"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair." ~Douglas Adams_

* * *

"Fucking Sarah from production, I can't believe that we got stuck in this hell hole," James continued to complain the next morning.

Standing at the mirror that was resting on top of a dresser, he was cursing himself for skipping his nightly routine. Trying in vain, to pull a comb through his hair, James took in his appearance with a scowl. His hair was sticking up all over the place, due to the lack of sleep, he had bags under his eyes, and he was sure that he was partially deaf because Carlos woke up and screamed at every slight sound, sure that their room was haunted. It got so bad that James, Kendall, and Logan ended up tying him to the bed and crammed into the other one, so Logan wouldn't get hit by flailing arms and legs anymore. He had been so loud that a concierge had been called up to their room numerous times to try and get them to quiet down.

None of the boys managed to get sleep, if it wasn't one thing, it was something else and at that point, they were already at each other's throats, snapping for no reason. Logan shook his head, as he left the bathroom. He only used it to brush his teeth, the other times e needed to use the water; he went down to the lobby bathrooms. Theirs was just too disgusting. He tried sanitizing everything, but not even the wipes in his first aid kit would make him feel better about it.

"Would you _please_ stop saying that?" Carlos was sitting cross legged on the bed, his chin in his hands, watching his three best friends. He looked a little glum, but otherwise was the only one that was upbeat about everything. It wasn't that he wasn't upset over everything that happened. Their production manager said that they would have everything set up for them and she wasn't able to get into contact with when they got stuck in the hell hole of a hotel. It was only the start of their tour though, things could get better. The only way that they could go at that point was up. "We get it. You're pissed at her for not making things easier for us."

"No, I'm pissed that we had to stay in a room with poor lighting and mirrors that suck when it comes to making sure my face is clear, free of blemishes, and that my hair is ok," James corrected him. "I'm pissed the _fuck off _when it comes to all of this!" He waved his hands around. "We're on our first headlining tour, our second tour in all; we should be treated with respect by now."

"Enough!" Kendall slapped his hands down onto his thighs, bringing them away from his hair. He was stuck having to use his reflection in a window to do his hair that morning, while James made sure to arrange every mirror they were given to get all angles of his head. "Listen, guys." He turned on his heel, his lips set in a determined line. "So things didn't start out well for us. So what if Sarah from production didn't help us after we got stuck in a crappy hotel? We had a great first show and we have the day off so we can see all of our fans today and go sightseeing." He raised his hands over his head. "So, do you want to do? Sit and sulk on the penalty bench? Or go out there and have a great game?"

He looked around the room expectantly, waiting for the other guys to rally up at his positive outlook and to get excited and go charging out the door to get into who knows what kind of trouble. When Big Time Rush were around, there was always some sort of trouble that was caused, even if they had the best intentions and were trying to fix something or prevent it from happening. All he got in return was blank stares and a raised eyebrow from James.

"You know, your speeches have been a little lackluster lately," James remarked.

Kendall dropped his arms, his shoulders slumped. He tried a different tactic. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he pulled up the most recent e-mail that he had gotten from Sydney. They were going to try calling each other, but Sydney had explained that it was better for them to e-mail and text as calling long-distance cost too much money where they were. If they were ever closer to Australia, then they could call all they wanted. From what Kendall could understand, Patrick had called someone long distance once and accidentally left the phone call going, causing Ronan to nearly have a heart attack when he got the bill, effectively cutting off the long distance calls. They were practically made out of money, he barely grounded them or punished them for anything knowing that his disappointment was the worst thing they could receive, but he put his foot down for phone bills.

_Just makes you wonder what he would have done to them if he found out about every little thing that we've ever dragged them into. _Once again, Kendall was hit with a wave of sadness, aware that they weren't on tour with their best friends at the moment. He was glad that they were getting some time off, but it wasn't the same. They weren't running back and forth to each other's hotel rooms, they weren't playing video games and screaming at each other, they weren't eating junk food and getting hyper off of sugar. They weren't running around the cities that they found themselves in, looking for ways to have fun. They weren't creating chaos and he really missed that.

"Let's do something and not just sit around here all day!" He continued.

"Well, I always _did _want to see Buckingham Palace," Logan said slowly. He let out a cry when Carlos rocketed into his back, gripping onto his shoulders tightly. "Carlos!"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to see how much it takes to get those guard guys to move!" Carlos's brown eyes were shining with excitement. "I have a whole list I want to try out."

James rolled his eyes, turning away from the mirrors. "Yeah, and I guess I can't have all of London go without seeing my handsome face." He grinned.

"That too," Kendall agreed, although he had a funny look on his face when he said it. He put his phone back in his pocket. "Ok, so, let's just go tell Mom that we're going out and let's go see London."

"But where are we going first?" Logan stood up with Carlos and James, getting ready to follow him out of the room.

"Who cares? We're in London and we have the _whole _city to ourselves," Kendall said. "Let's go see it only the way that Big Time Rush could."

* * *

"They said they were going to be on the beach, right?" Rhuben shuffled her feet. She used her hand to smooth her hair from her face, the salty sea air blew it about. "Up the beach and at a bonfire?" Riley nodded silently. Rhuben then sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time, bring it close to her face.

"You know, it's bad for your eyesight if you do that." Riley remarked, turning her head to look at her younger sister.

"I know that," Rhuben replied, putting her phone away. "But it's not like my eyesight can get any worse, I mean," she paused. "It can, but-"She smiled and she and Riley burst out into laughter as they continued to walk along the beach, their shoes sinking into the sand.

They had just left their home a few minutes ago, moving as quietly through the dark house as they could. As soon as they were sure that everyone was asleep, they made their move. Going past Jo's door was easy, she had been out like a light right after dinner, the jet lag, though it was miniscule, caught up to her. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were probably deep asleep as well, if Patrick's snoring was any indication. Ronan was a little different, he was in the middle of being a heavy and a light sleeper, sometimes the sound of the alarm being turned off woke him up, other times it would be in the back of his head. Thankfully, this time, he had ended up working late and should have passed out quickly.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Rhuben continued. "You know how easy it is to get sucked up in this stuff. It happens each time we come back here."

Riley looked surprised for a second and then relaxed. "Are you thinking about Logan?"

"Yeah," Rhuben replied, glad that in the darkness her sister couldn't see her blush. "I don't know," she shrugged. "Sort of." She shrugged. "Talking about getting back together…it just makes things like this…it makes me worried. Wondering how he would react if he ever found out before I got a chance to tell him. If we ever _should _tell them. If we should keep it quiet and hope the media doesn't find out. All of it."

"I getcha," Riley agreed.

And she really did. She hadn't dated any of the guys, but she ended up becoming close with each of them, more so Kendall but they were all great friends. Once she allowed herself to admit it, she found that she really enjoyed having them around and looked forward to it each and every day, being able to see them and to see what sort of things they could have managed to get themselves in to. They would have a million questions if they knew the whole story and saw what they were doing now. Wondering why they would continuously go back to something they didn't want to participate in, something that they were trying to move on from. But they didn't know the whole story, they didn't know how hard it was to get out after you got in, they didn't know that they could potentially be roped into everything each time they went back to Australia. It hadn't happened the last time they were there, on tour, and they were going to make sure it didn't happen now.

Riley sucked her lips into her mouth, looking up towards the sky. She then lowered her gaze and looked right into her twin's eyes again. "Is there any way that I could explain it and _not _ end up looking like a jerk?"

Rhuben gave a sympathetic smile. "No worries, Riles. You won't look like a jerk to us," she put her arm around Riley's shoulder, Riley doing the same to her and the two continued walking again.

"You're my family, Rhubes; I'm not supposed to be a jerk to you."

"Well, there's that."

The girls walked past the lifeguard station before finally seeing a stream of smoke in the sky, and a bright orange glow. Rhuben couldn't help but tense when she spotted a group of teenagers sitting around the fire. You never knew what was going to happen when they were around.

"There's Austen," Riley said, nodding. She opened her stride, quickening her pace towards the group.

"I see him," Rhuben replied.

Austen must have noticed them as well, for he nodded to his companions and they all turned in the direction that they were coming from. Austen removed the cigarette that was dangling from his lips and blew out a cloud of smoke before speaking to them, his green eyes flashing in the flood lights. His dark brown hair hung over his forehead and he tilted his head back, bringing his chin up in a nod once the girls reached him.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," He commented, looking at his watch. "I sent a text twenty minutes ago."

"Sorry, I forgot my life revolved around you," Riley replied coolly.

Austen merely shrugged. "Hers did." He pointed over to Rhuben, who grimaced before her features were set in a glare.

"Seriously? You want to bring up old crap like that now?" Rhuben placed her hands on her hips. "What do we really need to talk about? I think we get the gist of it at this point."

"Really?" Braden, the blonde standing next to Austen feigned innocence. "I thought that we came out here just to catch up. My mistake." He reached out and gave Austen a low-five, the other teenagers around them chuckling. "We just need to be sure that you hold up your end of the deal."

"Did you lose that much faith in us already?" Rhuben raised an eyebrow.

"Just covering all of our bases." Braden didn't sound the least bit remorseful.

"Braden lay off my girls." Candy, the only girl in the group, sneered. "It's not our fault that you're not getting some." She pushed her lips into a sexy pout. "Not that you haven't had any offers."

"Sorry," Braden turned back to Riley. "I'm a one-woman man, I don't sleep with whores."

"All of you, shut up!" Austen commanded, flicking his cigarette into the fire. He waited until he was sure he had everyone's attention. "Don't forget what we're here for." He turned back to Riley and Rhuben. "Don't forget, you were the ones that came to us for help and we're giving it to you, and you're going to hold up your end of the deal. I don't care if you have to lock your friend, Jo, in a room to when we contact you, but you will. This won't go away quickly, so you have to deal with it the best way we can. Or have it get out."

Riley and Rhuben looked at each other, having another one of their famous 'silent conversations', where they could communicate just by changing their facial expressions. Riley finally sighed heavy and turned back to Austen. "That's not an option. They wouldn't understand."

"So what's it gonna be?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you guys like the chapter. If you have any suggestions of what I could have the guys do on tour, that'd be great. Cause other than a few things, it seems like this part of the story will focus on DE and I don't really want that. Story picks up in next chapter, though I don't care about chapter lengths anymore, this one was short because it starts a new 'arc/storyline'. Essentially the timeline can take up a lot of things that I have written in other stories and this kind of does for _Darkness of My Past_ but not in the way you're probably thinking.

**LogieLuvr914 and Soccer-Lax-God25: **I originally intended for Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie to be there. But when Rhu and I realized that if Jo was in New Zealand and had a chance to visit them, it worked better. Plus, Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie don't get to Aus until it's close to DE going back to LA. D, WW, and L visit them for one to two weeks or so, then go back to LA, DE goes back to LA two weeks after that, and then shortly after _that_ BTR get back to LA.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Cheers,

-Riles


	11. Wonderful (PART 1)

**.:Chapter 11:.**

* * *

_"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.__" ~Voltaire_

* * *

It was the first day that it had been sunny since Jo had arrived at the Jacksons's house. Not that she minded the rain, they barely got any of it or any other sort of weather pattern back in Los Angeles, but she wanted to be able to experience the surf and sand in some way before she had to go back to New Zealand. The fact that it was when her first week of being there was almost over was what sort of bugged her. However, having been in New Zealand for so long helped her get used to it. Though being woken up to the sunlight filtering through the window in the guest room was the highlight of her stay so far.

Jo stretched her arms over her head and sat up, running her hands over face. Below her feet, she could hear cabinets opening and closing and instructions being called out above the sound of clanking pots and pans. She thought that Julius had been joking during dinner the first night that she was there, when he said that their house was always noisy. She had quickly been proven wrong. She was used to a bit of a quiet house, her Mom and Dad made sure of that, especially in the morning, so she and her brother got used to having to conceal their laughter whenever they were doing something silly. So being able to see the Jacksons get to be as loud and lively as they were used to was really fun.

Jo pushed back the covers on her bed and was at her suitcase, looking through the clothes when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, holding up a t-shirt in front of her.

"Oh, I thought you were still asleep," Patrick said as he pushed open the door and stood in the doorway. He held onto the doorknob with his right hand, using his left to push his glasses up his nose. "Anyway, breakfast is going to be ready soon if you want to take your shower now."

"And wait for nighttime where I'm sure to get mauled by you guys?" Jo laughed, picking up another shirt. "No thanks. I made that mistake before; I'm not doing it again." She dropped the shirt and frowned, looking over all of her clothes. "What am I going to wear today?" She used her foot to push articles of clothing aside.

"It's gonna be pretty warm, so I suggest a tank top or something," Patrick said. He shrugged. "Not that it matters much, you look good in anything, so…"

"Aww, you're sweet." Jo smiled over at him.

Patrick smirked. "I get that a lot," he remarked. "Either way, you're going to want to wear comfortable shoes, you're going to be doing a lot of walking today."

"Really?" Jo placed her hands on her hips, turning to face him. The ponytail on top of her head hit her in the face and, annoyed, she batted it away. It fell back down again and she yanked the scrunchie out of her hair, allowing her hair to fall around her face. "Where are we going? What are we doing?"

"You'll see," Patrick said mysteriously and disappeared from the doorway. Turning on his heel, and went back down the stairs to the kitchen and pulled himself up onto the counter. Julius was standing at the stove, finishing up with the breakfast preparation, Brittany was at the island, squishing oranges, Ronan was at his place at the table, looking over papers, and Riley, Rhuben, Noah, and Sydney were crowded around the TV that was on the counter by the refrigerator. "Jo's up. She should be down in a few minutes," Patrick reported.

"Thanks, Bro," Julius called over his shoulder.

"No worries," Patrick replied. "What are we watching?" He got down from the counter and pushed his way to his siblings' side. "Let me see!" He grabbed Sydney by the arms and lifted him up so that he was sitting on his shoulders. Sydney grabbed onto Patrick's head and held onto him tightly to be sure that he didn't fall off. "Hey Jerk-face!" He reached out a foot and kicked Rhuben in the butt. "Your big head's blocking the view!"

"Better than having a big gut, Weasel!" Rhuben reached out a hand and smacked him on his stomach as hard as she could.

"Better than having a fat ass."

"Hey!" Riley turned and glared at him.

"Knock it off," Ronan called, though he made no movement to get them to stop. He continued to flip through his papers, making check marks on a few pages as he went. "Hey, Julius, are you going to be free to help me with managing their schedules next weekend."

"I should be," Julius replied over his shoulder. "But I might have a night class to take, I'll let you know."

Patrick gave Riley a sweet smile when he was sure that Ronan wasn't watching them. "I didn't mean you, Sis." When he saw that his smile wasn't going to turn her mood, he wrapped his around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "I love you," he said in a childlike voice and then, before she could move, he turned his head and licked her on the cheek. Patrick laughed and high-fived Sydney when Riley shrieked and wiped the spit off of her face. "So, what are we doing?"

"Ronan wanted us to check out MTV to see if they report anything about our announcement," Noah explained. Being the closest to the TV, Rhuben had her chin in her hand and was leaning towards it, the remote dangling from her fingers in her free hand. "If they don't, then we know that VH1 is going to, and he wants to be sure which one it is."

"Something having to do with a press conference that's gonna happen when we do announce it," Riley agreed. She pushed her hair behind her ear. "You're going to have to ask him, I don't completely get it either."

"If you didn't, then Pat definitely won't," Noah remarked. Patrick let go of Sydney's leg, causing Sydney to tighten his grip on Patrick's head (though Patrick was sure that he just wanted an excuse to shove his fingernails into his skin) and let out a whimper of fear at the same time that Noah made gave a grunt of pain. "I was kidding."

"Surre." Patrick rolled his eyes and focused on the music video that was playing.

Part of him hoped that theirs wouldn't come on, but that was like wishing that he didn't need to breathe. They were probably the biggest rock band to come from Australia at the moment, apart from Sick Puppies, and their videos were on constant rotation on the music channels. It was funny, he didn't particularly like to watch himself on TV. It was different to see the music video from the director on the computer, because then you were able to see it before everyone else, before it officially aired. But as soon as it was on TV, you became hyper aware of the faces you made, the looks you give, stupid little things that you didn't notice that you did until it was right there in front of your face for the solid three or four minutes in its duration.

Patrick smiled to himself. Most people thought that people in bands were supposed to like all of the attention that they got. It was flattering, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't like the attention from the girls in general. But it was also so funny to see how camera shy Noah got, how much Riley disliked the attention, how Rhuben preferred to be behind the camera for photo shoots, how he didn't like to watch himself on TV, and how Sydney was the only one that seemed to be ok with all it. They weren't normal in any sense of the word; anyone that knew them could easily say that, in the music industry, they were probably the least normal and the least conceited and that was a welcome change.

"So what were you guys planning on doing since it's so nice out today?" Ronan's question turned the Jackson from the TV when another commercial appeared. Rhuben muted it, bringing the remote to the table with them as they dutifully sat down in the seats around the kitchen table. He dropped a pile of papers that he was looking over, taking off his reading glasses. "Let me guess, the beach?"

"No, we were there this morning," Riley replied. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "We were going to show Jo all around the city. It's really not fun to do that when it rains and, thank god, it finally stopped."

Brittany looked at her funny. "Weren't you the ones that were complaining over phone calls and in e-mails about how little it rains in California?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "But when it does it for days, you get sick of it pretty quickly."

"Hypocrite!" Julius coughed into a closet fist.

"Boofhead!" Riley and Rhuben coughed back. The kitchen erupted with laughter as Julius and Brittany took the dishes of food from the counters and set them on the kitchen table. They sat down just as Jo came into the room, fresh from a shower. She blushed a little and sat down in the last empty seat, waiting for the Jacksons to say grace before starting in on their food.

"So, Jo, are you excited to be able to get to see the city of Sydney today?" Ronan asked. He glanced at his phone as it rang and picked it up, checking the caller ID. Seeing that it was of no importance, he put it back down again. "It sucks that you came out here to visit them and all you've gotten to see was the inside of the house and rain falling outside."

"It's not so bad," Jo said politely. She waved a hand. "Being able to just hang out has been better than constantly worrying about getting my lines right and wondering if I'm doing something wrong and appearing inexperienced compared to everyone else."

Noah frowned. "But aren't you having a good time? I mean, from what I've heard, Chauncey Jackson is a pretty popular series." He bobbed his head back and forth. "Sure, I mean, it's debatable depending on who you ask, but it's still popular."

"Yeah!" Sydney piped up. "And who else can get a three year movie deal on one audition alone?"

Jo shrugged. "It still doesn't keep you from feeling like you're out of place sometimes."

"I get what you mean," Patrick agreed. He looked down at his plate, focusing on trying to spear the fresh pieces of fruit that were stacked up. "I was just thinking about it when we were looking at MTV. A lot of people think that we're the most confident people in the world when, in actuality, going up against other bands for awards and stuff and being compared to them is actually really scary."

"Exactly," Jo agreed. Patrick risked a glance at her and he felt himself start to blush a little when Jo sent a warm smile his way. He nodded back, hoping that it was inconspicuous and continued to eat his food. From the look that his eldest brother sent his way, he knew that he had been caught, but was glad that Julius didn't say anything. If it was anyone else, he was sure that he would have been teased so much that he wouldn't be able to show his face around her again.

It was so strange to him, so surreal sometimes that he could so confident around any girl that came in contact with him. And it was only Jo that had managed to make him a bit nervous. When he first met her, he was smitten but was very careful not to let it known to anyone but his siblings. They could read him like a book anyway. Yeah, he thoughts she was pretty, but when he found that she was three years older than him, he quickly gave up the idea. Especially considering what he was going through at the time as well as the fact that Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James had all basically put dibs on her. (Patrick wasn't surprised to know that Kendall was the one that Jo eventually went out with). Then having to go through the process of the trial and being adopted and trying to adjust to life and music that way, keeping everything under wraps the best they could so the media wouldn't find out, girls were far from his worries at the moment. Though he did make an extra special effort to be informed on Logan's and Rhuben's relationship, not wanting her to be hurt again. He didn't react to it very well when he found out that they had broken up, but Rhuben reassured him that it was fine and the breakup was mutual.

He still wasn't sure that was entirely true, but he took her word for it. Things were getting better for him now despite the nervousness of having to do the press conference that revealed everything (as well as having Jo in his house to see every embarrassing thing he did). Sydney's birthday was coming up and he was keeping a close eye on Big Time Rush's tour and how things were going with them so that was a good distraction. Patrick mentally reminded himself to tell his siblings the story of how Big Time Rush had been chased all over London by police, which he had seen in the recent e-mail that Carlos had sent him, when Ronan let out a loud laugh.

All eyes turned to him and he leaned back, turning off the radio that was playing soft music behind him and then pointed to the TV. When they saw what was playing, Jo, Brittany, and Julius started laughing as well though Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney started screaming at each other, scrambling for the remote. One of their oldest music videos had come on, around the time that they had first started their band.

"Turn it off!" Patrick shouted. "Turn. It. Off. Oh my god! My eyes!" He covered his face with his hands, dramatically falling onto his plate of food. He _hated _to watch himself on TV when he was young.

"I'm trying!" Rhuben shouted, back. She and Riley had grabbed the remote at the same time and were yelling at each other to 'let go' amidst the chaos. Noah merely had his hands over his face. Finally, Sydney jumped up from his chair, the crashing sound that it made, hitting the floor, caused Rhuben to flinch and let go of the remote, flinging it across the room. Sydney smacked the power button with his hand, turning off the monitor.

Ronan got up from his seat and went over to Rhuben, whose hands were shaking. "Are you ok?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, using the other one to smooth her hair back from her face, in case something else was going on.

"I'm good," she said after a second, giving a shaking smile. "No worries, I'm fine."

Jo finally managed to stop laughing. "God, I love your family!"

* * *

"So the first thing that you're going to do is an interview on Sunrise as well as a performance," Ronan said, pointing to a large schedule that sat in front of him. Patrick leaned forward to get a good look at it, resting his elbows on his knees, drumming his fingers on the side of his cheek. "It'll show the next morning, only a couple of hours before you do your press conference." He closed the schedule and moved it to the side. "That's everything that I have planned so far, especially since you guys are taking a break, I'm trying to keep things as open as possible."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting that after we break the news, there's going to be people wanting appearances all over the place," Sydney pointed out. He frowned, showing off how he really was mature beyond his years. Patrick looked over at his brother and smiled a little. He wouldn't be surprised if his baby brother managed to take over Ronan's record company if he didn't become some sort of a physicist or a engineer. Or even a rocket scientist like their father was.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Ronan replied. He shrugged. "You have to remember that with news like this, you're going to get more attention, but that doesn't mean that you have to turn around and be a bit of a hypocrite to what you're going to tell your fans."

"And you still think this is a good idea?" Patrick pressed. Ronan turned to him and he crossed his arms over his chest, looking back at his adoptive father seriously. It was one of the few times that he ever was completely serious. When it came to his family and his band. His band was his job and he took that just as seriously as he took his job being a waiter in the Cascade Café back in Los Angeles. This was something big that they were doing and he didn't want anything to be screwed up. "Us taking the year long break."

Ronan looked surprised. "Don't you guys want it?" His green eyes scanned the room.

Patrick glanced at his siblings, more specifically at Riley, to see what she was going to say. When she didn't say anything, he glanced at Rhuben, who was as quiet as her sister. He finally looked at Riley again. Riley crossed and uncrossed her legs and then shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, we want it. After talking about it for a while, we really do want the press conference and take the year off. But we still need to think about our fans."

"I'm not saying that you guys are quitting cold turkey," Ronan explained. "You're still going to do appearances and interviews and music videos and photo shoots and shows. You're just not going to be doing them as much and writing new music shouldn't be your main focus." He folded his hands patiently. "How does that sound."

"It still sounds kinda weird," Noah admitted. "But I guess that's all that we can say for now." He looked at his watch. "We should get going or else we're not going to have much time to show Jo around the city and all that." He got up, pushing his chair in behind him. "We'll see you later, Ronan."

The Jacksons got up from their chairs and left Ronan's office. Going into the living room, they saw that Julius and Brittany had left, probably going back to their apartment. They had been at the house all weekend, leaving Matt and Mike all by themselves. _And from what happened last time, that was not a good thing, leaving them along for too long. _Patrick smiled at the memory of the story Julius had told; how everything had inconceivably ended up covered in soap bubbles. If it wasn't for the money that he had saved up, he probably wouldn't have been able to replace everything.

Jo was sitting on the couch in the den, looking confused as she watched a soap opera. "It's so weird," she said as the Jacksons entered the room. "The soap operas are basically the same here. I thought they'd be different." She turned off the TV, jabbing her thumb into the remote then brightened. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sheesh, you'd think at some point you'd, you know, _not_ do that," Riley remarked.

"What? Smile?" Jo stood up, grabbing her purse as she did so.

"Yeah, that."

"You guys are so cynical, that's your problem," Jo remarked. She walked over to them, standing at the edge of the group. "You don't know a good thing when you have it." She smiled wide, spreading her arms out, as if saying 'ta da' having just jumped out from a cake. "But that's why _I'm_ here!"

"Uh-huh." Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest. "And I don't doubt you're going to take the time to try and match us up with someone or try and talk about dating in general."

"Now that you brought it up…" Jo's smile widened. "When am I going to hear about your ex-"

"Never!" Riley and Rhuben were surprised to hear Patrick snap the word at the same time as his twin sisters. It wasn't his fault that he had told them countless times that whomever they were interested in at the time were bad for them. (So he had been wrong twice, but he had a good track record otherwise). Jo blinked in surprise, taken aback.

"Ok, then, when am I going to meet your backup dancers?" She changed the subject.

"Probably not this time," Sydney said slowly. "But that's only because they're currently touring in Canada with a dance troupe." He reached out a hand and grabbed onto hers. "But that's not a problem, you're here with us and you're going to be here to celebrate my birthday." He started to tug on her hand. "Now, there's only a few good shopping days left and I didn't hear you say anything about having my gift."

"You didn't go snooping for it, did you?" Jo asked, allowing herself to be pulled out of the front door and down the driveway.

"Of course he did." Patrick snorted. He then smirked and shrugged, trying to go give off an air of nonchalance. "He wouldn't be a Jacksons if he didn't." Noah laughed and elbowed him in the side. Patrick elbowed him back and threw his arm around Noah's neck, giving him a noogie. Noah used both of his hands to push Patrick away from him and the family climbed into the minivan with Riley driving. As they went along, going into the city, Jo had her face nearly pressed permanently against the window, looking at every building they passed.

She was surprised to find that people in Australia were so friendly, everyone that the Jacksons waved back, they waved back. When Jo asked if they knew who they were, Riley hesitated before answering that they didn't know all of them personally, but it was possible that they all knew them. Patrick knew that she wasn't referring to their band, but to their parents, didn't say anything else about it. Jo was surprised, again, when Rhuben had warned her of the places that they weren't going to be able to see that day. When Jo asked why, she hesitated for a moment before saying that Jo should just trust her when she said that she didn't want to go there.

"So, Joey, what do you want to see first?" Sydney, without his buckle on, was leaning over the middle seat, putting his face close to hers. His dimples appeared in his cheeks as he waited for her answer. Patrick suddenly wanted to shove him back out of his space. It was weird enough having to sit directly next to her, now his brother was making him even more self conscious about it. "The beach? The mall? Sydney Harbor? There's this cool place that we like to go to that-"

"Actually, I was hoping that I could see Blazing Phoenix," Jo said. She tucked her hair behind her ear, then leaned forward in between Riley and Rhuben, who were in the very front. She angled her head so that she could talk to both girls, though her brown eyes were trained more on Rhuben, hoping not to distract Riley from her driving. "I know it's probably not that different from the one in LA, but I think it'd be cool to see where you guys got your start."

"No worries, Jo-Jo," Rhuben said easily. She twirled her phone in her hands, looking back down at the screen when she got a text. Flipping her phone onto its side, she started to text back, her thumbs moving over the touch screen at top speeds. "I'm sure that Ronan needs us to pick up mail from there anyway."

"Awesome!" Jo leaned back in her seat and changed the subject. "Have you talk to the guys recently?" She spun her hair around her finger. "Um, how are they doing?"

"Have you not talked to them?" Sydney asked innocently. And unlike before, Patrick was aware that his brother was only ten years old. He didn't know that Jo hadn't called any of the guys or talked to them since she and Kendall had broken up, it was probably too painful. "I can call them right now."

"I wouldn't," Riley swiftly interrupted. "It's probably night time where they are, you don't want to wake them up. You know how Handsome gets when he's woken up."

Patrick smiled but didn't say anything. When Riley pulled into the parking lot for Blazing Phoenix Records ten minutes later, Jo scrambled out of the car in excitement before she could even turn it off. Because she had moved so fast, Riley cursed and stomped on the brakes to keep the car from rolling forward and hitting her.

"Wow, this is Blazing Phoenix!" Jo said as she gaped up at the building in front of her.

Patrick and his siblings climbed out of the car, Riley being sure to lock it behind her, and moved to stand beside Jo as she looked up at the record company. Patrick's arm brushed at her sand he looked at her face to see if she noticed. He was a bit confused when she turned and smiled at him. It was a bit…weird to him. She had been smiling at him a lot more than usual lately. _Not that there's anything wrong with it _he quickly reassured himself.

"Yyep," Sydney said. He placed his hands on his hips, using one hand to shield his face from the sun. "Ronan's partner, Alan McIntyre opened Blazing Phoenix here at the same time that Ronan opened it in LA so that it would be easier for us to go back and forth if we ever needed to." He shrugged. "Of course we stayed back in OZ more than LaLaLand, but you get the idea."

"It's bigger than I thought," Jo admitted.

"Blame Ronan for that one," Rhuben remarked. She waved a hand and everyone headed inside. "He really likes scenic views, so his office is always, like, on the top floor." Pumping the door to the office building, she turned her head to talk to Jo over her shoulder. "And there's a dance studio across the city called In10sity that we always go to as well. So sometimes we're here over there, and then other times we split the day between the two, depending on how much work we need done."

"Cool."

The Jacksons led Jo inside and started to point out the candid pictures and large band posters that were around the lobby. It was a good reminder that Robert had such a strong hold on everyone, not just them. He kept Ronan from being able to work with other bands besides them while he was under contract. In some ways it was really bad, as he couldn't expand his talents onto other bands (which he was currently trying to remedy) other ways it helped since he was able to focus all of his attention on one band. The rest of the producers that were employed at the studio brought in other talent that helped as well.

"Is that yours?" Jo motioned over to a gold record that was sitting on the wall. "Aww, you guys were so ittle."

"Please don't 'aww' that makes it much more cringe inducing," Sydney remarked as he stood up next to her. "God we were so weird looking back then."

"You still are," Patrick commented. "You haven't hit puberty yet."

"What's your excuse then?" Sydney shot back.

Riley, Rhuben, and Noah laughed as Patrick twitched his eyebrows. He crossed his arms and leaned them against the front desk, watching the two of them fawn over the gold records and posters. He remembered every time each poster got put up. It was some of the happiest moments of his life, things that easily outweighed the bad. As usual, Noah was able to think exactly what he was thinking.

"I kind of miss it," Noah said, lowering his voice. He turned away from Jo and Sydney, who were still looking over the records on the wall. "The times when we were so excited to put out music and to know what everyone thought about it. Waiting to hear if it would come on the radio and how it would chart."

"We still have some things to look forward to," Riley pointed out. "Like our ARIA nomination."

"Yeah," Noah agreed. But he was s till a little bit pessimistic. "But if the news doesn't go over well, then it might not even be worth it."

Patrick felt a sudden surge of inspiration and excitement. They had so much stuff to look forward to, a large award that they had been nominated for and were probably the youngest to have ever been so. Why shouldn't they look forward to that? Why did they always focus on the negatives so much? Well, that was going to change, starting right now. "Don't worry about it," Patrick said. He gave his siblings a bright smile. "We're going to get back to that time, when we were happy, soon. Trust me."

And due to his and his siblings' track record, they were due to have a good time. It was along coming and they were going to get it at some point. It Sydney's birthday wasn't a good indication of that, he wasn't sure what was.

* * *

**A/N: **After thinking of what _Got2LiveItBigTime _said in a recent review to _Just A Boy _I thought that I would try and do a chapter that's all about DE annndddd...it felt weird. If it works well, the next chapter will be all about BTR, so it can be balanced. I'll Probably try do chapters only about them for other stories, but also give em' happier moments to deal with from time to time.

The way I see it now, the season 3 chapters will probably start at chapter 20 or 25 or so, more leaning towards 25. So, yes, THIS WILL BE A LONG STORY. You've been forewarned. Haha. Oh and I forgot to mention that I finally got a series name for _It's The Rush That You Get, It's Times Like These_, and _It's Been A While. _I have decided to name it the 'It's On' series.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

I hope you guys liked it

Cheers,

-Riles

* * *

So here's my answer/thoughts to #Got2LiveItBigTime's review on Just A Boy.

I completely agree with everything you're saying. Some of the things you mentioned and others have mentioned I've noticed and have been trying to fix as my stories went on. This is why you saw a Riley/Noah moment in the most recent chapter to _Memories and Melodies_. I know that there are a bunch of things for DE that I need to show that I don't and I'm actually pretty annoyed with myself for not doing it. My main reason is because I try to show more of how DE changes over time as well as how close they are with BTR. If you asked me what the main points to my stories were, it'd be BTR/DE's friendship with each other. Plain and simple. Most may think that I only like writing the stories to get people together, but if I'm being completely honest; I care more about their friendships with each other than relationships. I like being able to make characters/stories where I know that they and BTR will always be there for each other.

Because of that, showing how DE is always there for each other within their own family fell by the wayside.

When it comes to relationships stories, I picture the same thing (though as you know mine focus more on Kiley because Kendall is the only one that I see Riley, realistically, ending up with. Either him or no one). I try to focus on how their friendship is and how it adapts to them being together. And the main reason that Riley's relationship with her family doesn't come up a lot, or at all, is because, simply, the rest of them weren't main characters to the story/weren't needed. It was never really to drive a plot (except for _Playing With Fire_ where the main characters were Kendall, Mrs. Knight, Katie, and Riley)it was simply that when I thought about it, the rest of her family and the rest of her friends weren't as important to how things moved along. (Which, now as I think about it, is really stupid, and it's something I'm working on for my current and future stories). The only times they seemed to be there was when she would re-live her guilt about her parents' death and that seemed to be the only time, which proves you right for the whole 'they only bond when something bad happens' thing. It also typically only happened when she would start to break down, or had already gotten to the point after having broken down.

The point to my relationship ones aren't to get them together, it's usually, what can I throw their way (that will most likely cause them to piss each other off at some way, though I find that to be funny) that they will use their friendship to be able to power through it. That was my main complaint when it came to the story _You're Not Alone_. When I finished it, I asked myself, why didn't her family come up more if they know how she's like when her bipolar disorder gets the best of her? Why didn't they help her with that? (This is the same reason why I've been contemplating re-writing _You're Not Alone, Playing With Fire_, and _Memories and Melodies_ all under one fic with my original name for _You're Not Alon_e (aka _Someone Like You_)).

But my point is, you're right. We haven't really, actively shown the Jacksons being there for each other at all. If we have, it's only a fleeting scene before some drama comes up. We're trying to change that and hopefully you understand our reasoning (though different and similar) as to why it happened that way. Thanks so much for bringing it to our attention and thanks for being a constant support to us.


	12. Lucky

**.:Chapter 12:.**

* * *

_"When you realize who the good people are in your life, you're so lucky.__" ~Sophia Bush_

* * *

"I seriously want to shoot myself in the head," James mumbled. His chin was resting in his hands and he was looking at his reflection in a mirror.

"Would you _please_ stop complaining?" Katie slapped her hands over her face and growled. Taking a few calming breaths, she lowered her hands and regarded each of the boys in the room. "This is our last day in England and you're going to spend it _moping_?" Shaking her head, she placed her hands on her hips. "You guys are on a world tour, in England, and you're moping!"

"Katie, you don't understand," Logan tried to defend himself.

"What I don't understand is what you have to complain about," Katie interrupted. She started to pace back and forth, throwing her hands up into the air. "I mean, all of your guys' shows so far have been sold out. Your interviews on TV have been going well. You have fans following you everywhere. So there's _one_ hotel that you go to that doesn't have the best accommodations puts you guys in a tailspin." Rolling her eyes, she turned to face them again. "It's so pathetic. You have the rest of the tour to look forward to, things can't get worse."

"They can." Carlos nodded earnestly. "Don't forget that this hotel is haunted.

"The hotel _isn't _haunted," Logan snapped. "Would you _please _stop saying that?"

"_You're_ only saying that because you're still mad at Steph for freaking you out with the PalmWoods ghost," Kendall pointed out. "Either that or you're mad that you had to admit that you actually did believe in ghosts." He grinned. "Which is why proving you wrong is so much fun."

Logan gave him the finger.

Katie giggled despite the situation. It was always so funny to see how the guys fought with each other. They really were liked brothers sometimes; they could get on each other's nerves and be at each other's throats, but they never really took any of that seriously. "So what are you guys doing today?"

"Just a meet and greet," James replied. He finally put down the mirror and stretched his arms over his head. "Apparently there was a radio contest for us to go to a school and do one there, or something like that. Gustavo was the one that set it all up, so we didn't know about that."

"When do we ever know anything?" Carlos pointed out. "We just get carted somewhere all the time." He frowned, resting his hands in his lap. "Hopefully with this new year and having a bit more popularity and everything, Griffin and Gustavo will actually give us freer reign with the things that we can and can't do."

"You just wrote a whole album yourself," Katie pointed out. "What else could you need?" She paused for a moment then bobbed her head back and forth. "Then again you could use the ability to actually be able to use your money so that you could buy all of the things that you guys wanted. And the more that you guys do the more that I'll be able to use you all to my advantage."

"Thanks, Katie." Kendall smiled.

"You're welcome," she replied. As silence settled over the room, Katie dragged her fingers over the desk that was at her side. "So…" she turned her back to her brother and his friends. "Considering Mom wants to nap all day so she'll be rested for the flight, and Gustavo and Kelly are out doing who knows what…I don't _really_ have anything to do."

"You're going to miss us aren't you?" James's voice caused Katie to turn around. She could practically see the smug smile on his face before she even looked at him.

"Pshht, no!" Katie snapped. "I just think that it's really unfair how I have to go back home while you guys continue to live large here and around Europe and the US or whatever." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "Like I'll miss you guys screwing everything up all the time."

"It's not like you're going to be lonely," Carlos added. "You still have Steph and Camille and Lizzie to hang out with."

"Right, hanging out with _your _girlfriends and hearing them talk about you all the time, that's exactly what I want." Katie rolled her eyes then crossed her arms over her chest, wiggling her neck. "And who said anything about being lonely? I'll have so much stuff that I'll be able to do while I'm back in LA. I just need something to do _right now_." She scratched the back of her neck. "So can I go to your guys' meet and greet or what?"

"Sure thing, Baby Sister," Kendall agreed. He smiled at her. "Just let us finish getting dressed and we can go."

"Ok." Katie turned on her heel and walked down to the lobby of the hotel. It was strange to know that they were going to b stuck in the rundown place. They hadn't gone through everything they did in London to still be there. But with that crazy Atticus Moon guy and all of the press that was brought upon them with that trouble, it was just as well that they were staying in a place that wasn't as well off. Not so good for her, as she wasn't able to find a good group of people to swindle out of their money, but good nonetheless.

Dropping into an empty chair in the lobby, she pulled her phone from her pocket. No new texts, only the one from Lizzie that she had read the night before. The time difference sure was getting on her nerves if not making her realize even more how much of a nonexistent social life she had. Lizzie Zevon was everything that she wasn't and it wasn't really pointed out to her until Katie had gone on tour with her brother and his friends. Lizzie was always out with someone or with her dance classmates or was practicing, as evident by the copious amount of pictures she posted on ScuttleButter. Sure, they would text back and forth for a bit, but then the conversation would die out.

_Not that I have much to say on my end anyway. _Katie sighed as she looked through her phone, trying to find a game that she wanted to play. _I'm just following my brother around and watching shows and sightseeing. There's no one around for me to hang out with. Even if I go back home, there's not going to be much for me to do._

Katie put her phone aside and placed her chin in her hands, looking down at her feet. _Not that it matters to Kendall, he can go anywhere and do anything and he'll make friends easily. It's not fair; everything is so easy for him. _He was a hockey phenom, he was in a popular boy band, and he had people chasing after him all the time. Even when they were back in Minnesota everyone always had something nice to say about him. And all she got referred to was 'Kendall's little sister'. There were many times that she was nothing but proud of her brother; when he was playing hockey or if he was just playing a new song on the guitar for her. But then there were other times where she felt so inadequate that there was no point of her being around.

What was keeping her in LA? Her brother and his band.

What was keeping her from going back to Minnesota? Not much.

"You ready to go?"

Katie looked up when she heard Logan's voice and got to her feet as the boys walked over to her. She turned and grabbed her phone, shoving it into her jeans pocket, turning back to the guys with a bright smile. Kendall looked at her funny, tilting his head to the side. He looked like he wanted to ask her something, but she quickly turned away from him.

"So let's go and meet your adoring fans," She said, starting to walk out of the hotel lobby. "And then I can tell them _all _about how you guys were chased all over London by the police!"

"It's not our fault that we got wrapped up in some sort of crazy scheme by a whack job that just wanted to move the moon to take over the world," Logan defended himself. He turned and pointed at Kendall, who suddenly looked offended. "It's his! Him with his _stupid_ girly backpack!"

"It was given to me by a fan, excuse me." Kendall stuck his nose in the air.

"Yeah and it almost got us killed," James said. He pushed Kendall on the back as they climbed into the limo that was waiting for them to take them to their destination. "Remember what Ronan said? That it's a bad idea if we take everything from our fans. You don't know if it's going to be poisoned or whatever."

"That ruined a lot of cookies for me," Carlos said, sticking out his lower lip in a pout. Katie rolled her eyes, which was something that she usually did while the boys were around, knowing what he was thinking about. It wasn't as traumatizing as he was making it seem. The last time that they had done a meet and greet, right before their opening show in London, Carlos had been given a big box of cookies from one of their fans. Back in the dressing room, Carlos barely had the top of the box off before he was pile driven to the ground by security, crushing all of the cookies in the process.

Carlos, eyes wide, had watched as the security smashed each and every cookie in front of him. Logan, James, and Kendall laughed at the horrified and heartbreaking look on Carlos's face as he watched his dessert get decimated right before his eyes. When he managed to weakly ask why he had been tackled, Gustavo had popped up to explain that with things that were homemade by fans you couldn't be too careful, you never knew how fans were going to react. They already had fainters and criers at most of their apartments and seemed to be chased everywhere they went.

"Better than ruining your life," Katie said. "Now, if you guys wanted to _pay _me to make the food for you-"

"And get poisoned that much faster?" James snorted. "I don't think so." He reached over and pointed a finger into Katie's face. "I know what you're planning. You'll keep us sick enough, but alive long enough so that you can take everything that our fans give us or cut off our hair and try to re-sell it or something." He jerked his finger back with a shriek when Katie snapped her head forward and tried to bite his finger.

"Geez, you tell a guy one of your weird dreams _once_ and you're branded for life," Katie remarked.

"It's not like you're completely innocent," Kendall pointed out. "You won't believe how long I tried to tell Mom not to let me babysit you by myself. After a while I just gave up and had to booby-trap my room to make sure that you wouldn't get to me."

"Oh come on," Katie said, affronted. "I couldn't have been that bad."

"You obviously haven't talked to Mom, much."

Katie smiled and laughed with the boys. These were the moments that she enjoyed. Being able to hang out with the guys and it was just like old times, before the fame, before they were constantly running around at Gustavo's beck and call…before she got ignored all the time. When they arrived at the school, the boys were brought in by the president of the student government. As they walked the halls, whispers and stared got even more poignant and at some point, they started to get followed. Katie was probably never going to get used to the sound of the deafening screams that accompanied them everywhere and when they entered the gym that was no exception.

She slapped her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound, but it continued to increase in volume as they moved over to the area where the guys were going to stand to take pictures with the students. A security guard handed her a pass and she slipped it over her head before standing off to the side.

"You know, you're really lucky that Kendall is your brother." Katie turned to the side and saw a girl standing by her. She was at the front of a long line and had her hands clasped in front of her, practically gushing at Katie. Katie raised an eyebrow as the girl continued. "I mean, to have an older brother that' so cool…I'd just like to be friends with the guys, but you're their sister. You're so lucky."

_Lucky? _Katie never really thought of it that way. She had really only seen herself as lucky when it came to having Kendall as her big brother before he got famous. Maybe she was looking at things the wrong way. Maybe she was being a bit too selfish about the whole thing. Who else would give up everything that he was working for to be able to help his friend? She didn't know anyone else other than her brother that would.

Katie smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am," she agreed. She watched as the guys got set up with the photo equipment and got directions from the principal of the school to be sure that there was no 'inappropriate touching' going on. Katie laughed at that remark, it was always funny to see the lengths that people would go to just to be able to say that they 'held James's hand' or 'kissed Carlos's cheek'. The Jacksons had told her a couple of stories about that, because of their image, they were allowed to kiss their fans on the cheek, if they were ever asked, for a picture. One time some fans got so jealous that a fight broke out amongst the crowd.

According to them it was funnier than it should have been and Katie wished that she had been there. She figured, in a way, that she was lucky to be Kendall's sister for that reason too. She wouldn't have been able to meet some of the greatest friends that she had ever had…too bad they weren't allowed to call or text because of the long distance charges, she was sure that they were having more fun than she was. Being around the surf, sun, and sand for months, there was nothing better than that. No way in hell.

All of a sudden, a commotion with the guys grabbed her attention. She looked over and saw that there were lots of people crowded around, talking and whispering with each other. Katie pushed her way through the crowd just in time to see a girl being hauled away by security that was tightly holding onto her upper arms. She had a large smile on her face and didn't seem too concerned with being taken away from the guys.

_What the? _Katie moved over to her brother's side.

"Ow!" Kendall looked down and spotted the girl's friend that had been kneeling in front of him, moving her head towards his stomach. He jumped backwards, holding up his hands. "Whoa! What the fuck?" All of a sudden, to his left, he could hear Carlos start to laugh hysterically.

"Dude, she totally branded you, man," James added from his right.

"Kendall, we need to get you checked out," Logan said.

"What are you talking about?" When all hands were pointed down, motioning towards his stomach, Kendall looked down himself and spotted a dark spot on his shirt, near his bellybutton. Feeling it, he noticed that it was damp and pulled his shirt back. The angry, ugly crimson imprint on his belly that looked back at him caused his jaw to drop. "Dude, she fucking _bit_ me!"

Katie's hands flew to her mouth before she started to laugh hysterically. The girl must have gotten a good bite because there was a little bit of blood and she could see teeth marks on her brother's stomach. Logan, James, and Carlos continued laughing and slapped each other high-fives as Kendall lowered his shirt and glared at him. "It's not funny. This _really_ hurts!"

"Well, it just proves that you're the favorite of the group, Kendall," Carlos teased.

"Yeah, how does it feel, bro?" Katie added. She gave Carlos a high-five.

"Shut up!" Kendall snapped. He wiped the blood away with his finger then pressed both of his hands over the spot, on top of his shirt. "She fucking bit me." He repeated it as if he was in a daze. His eyes were wide and he looked around, as if searching for a medic. Katie wanted to remind him that he was the one that had been defending their fans earlier, but didn't want to bring it up. It probably wasn't the best time to do so.

"We have to get you to a doctor, Kendall," Logan said. He grabbed onto Kendall's arm and led him over to the security team and they all started to leave the gym, bringing disappointed sighs as they went. (Though that didn't stop the camera flashing).

"Well this was fun," Katie remarked as she walked along beside them.

Kendall looked down at her. "Sorry, Baby Sister," he apologized. "You wanted something to do and then it all ends up like this and-"

"Are you kidding?" Katie laughed as she looked up at her brother. "Who else can say that they got to watch their brother get bit on the stomach by a crazy fan? It's going to be, like, the best story I tell _anyone_."

"I'm glad I could be a source of entertainment for you," Kendall said deadpan. He winced as he brought his arm up and put it around his sister's shoulders. "I'm going to miss you while you're gone." He hugged his sister to his side, resting his cheek on top of her head. That was Kendall; somehow he was always able to tell what she was feeling without having to say anything. She guessed that he made it part of his job, to always know what she was up to.

But to be able to do it so perfectly each and every time she needed it as a pick me up was downright scary.

Katie scowled for a moment, not particularly enjoying it whenever Kendall got so emotional. But she was going to miss him too. This was the first tour that he was going on that she wasn't going to be there the whole time. Some of the best times of her life was being able to watch her brother, every night, perform on stage and watch how excited he got to see all of his fans. Now she was going to sit back in LA with the friends she had there, waiting for him. Not that she would ever tell him the real reason why she was upset; she had never been away from him for that long. And what with the two of them growing up and getting their own friends, she didn't see him as much. She wanted to be able to hold onto him as long as she possibly could.

_Now I understand how Mom feels_. With a slight sigh, Katie brought up her arms and hugged her brother back, holding onto him tightly. "I'm going to miss you too, bro."

* * *

**A/N: **I've been having a bad week so sorry if this chapter isn't that great. Not particularly fond of this chapter, but it's good for some much needed Kendall/Katie bonding. Kendall's being bitten on the stomach during a meet and greet is taken from him being bitten on the stomach during a concert (in real life) and changed it a bit.

Would you guys hate me if I took out the part where Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie got to Australia and put it as a separate short story like I originally planned? Thinking it over, it would take a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGG time to get to the start of season 3 if I had kept it in. And because I need to show more of Camille and Stephanie when all of them get back to LA before BTR does. Especially with what I have to go through for season 3, it would make the story even longer than I had originally planned. Plus I don't particularly think the story is interesting without BTR and DE directly interacting with each other. I haven't ultimately decided yet, I'm just asking for your guys' opinions.

To be honest, I wanna to re-do this whole thing, but I'm too far into it to do that now.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

I hope you guys liked it

Cheers,

-Riles


	13. Crazy (PART 2)

**.:Chapter 13:.**

* * *

_ "The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.__"_

* * *

"Wally!"

WayneWayne cringed before setting his video camera down on his desk. His arms on the mahogany desk in front of him, his legs extended underneath, in a white t-shirt and baggy jeans his pose exuded serenity. However, as soon as his name was called, the muscles in his body immediately tensed. He recognized that voice, having heard it use his name in the same way for years. Sighing, WayneWayne pushed himself backwards from his desk and lowered the fingers on his hands in a countdown. As the last digit fell, the door to his room burst open and his older sister, Natalie, was standing in the doorway.

He watched her with his eyes as she made a show of looking around his room, even going to the closet and peeking inside before getting on her knees and looking underneath it. "May I help you?"

"Yep!" Natalie jumped to her feet. "First I was checking to see that you didn't have any girls in here that we don't know about." She turned to her baby brother with a bright smile. "But you're young; I wouldn't blame you if you did."

WayneWayne rolled his eyes. _Hard to believe that she's twenty-two, she acts like such a kid sometimes. _"That's not the reason that you decided to come in here," he prompted her. "What do you want?" He noticed the pointed stare that Natalie was giving him. "I'm busy, Nat! I'm trying to get some stuff together before I start my short film."

Natalie now looked confused. "How are you going to film your movie and do the Ziggle Zaggles at the same time?"

"It's just for fun," WayneWayne replied. "I was thinking about getting my friends to help me." Raising a hand, he wiped it across his forehead, closing his eyes. "That's not what you needed, Nat. What did you call me for?"

"Oh yeah!" Natalie smiled. "Your lover and his friends are here."

WayneWayne's muscles seized again and he tried not to burst out in hysterics. Natalie and his eldest sister, Jaycee, were no strangers to his love life. Every girl he had been interested in, every person that he had gone on a date with, they, somehow, managed to push their way into each and every relationship. So much so that he was surprised he had kept his last girlfriend so long as they seemed to follow him around on every date they went on. Thankfully, she was able to roll with the punches and had grown to almost be a part of the family. However, now that WayneWayne was single, they seemed to jump on practically any person that came around to see him.

"Natalie, I told you before, I'm _not_ gay and Dak is _not_ my boyfriend!" WayneWayne tried to sound tough, but his silent laughter made it difficult.

"Then how come you haven't been talking to Girlfriend lately?" Natalie planted her right hand on her hip, raised an eyebrow, and turned her right ear towards him, waiting for an answer. "Huh? She went on vacation to Hawaii and then back to Australia and you barely said anything! How come we haven't seen any pictures?"

"Nat!"

"Fine." Natalie pouted and turned on her heel, leaving the room. A few minutes later, Dak, Camille, and Stephanie crowded into his room. WayneWayne took one look at them and completely turned away from his computer, resting his cheek in his hand. "What's…up with the looks on your guys's faces?" His dark eyes darted back and forth between the three teenagers in front of him. Dak looked annoyed and slightly freaked out, Camille looked sheepish; Stephanie was the only one that seemed calm.

"She,"-Dak pointed over at Camille-"broke into my house."

"She what?!" WayneWayne started to laugh.

"I didn't _break_ in, you left the door unlocked," Camille defended herself. "That's, like, inviting everyone into your house." Crossing her arms over her chest, she shrugged in nonchalance. "It's your own fault."

Stephanie held up a hand, catching the bewildered look on WayneWayne's face. "Camille and I found something online and we went over to Dak's place to see if he knew anything about it. She pretty much broke in, by the way, and then we all decided to come here." Pointing over at Camille, Stephanie continued, "I knew she was crazy, but that was ridiculous."

"What I'm wondering is if your Mom and Dad can shell out so much for basically everything that you guys own, how come they don't get a security system that can actually keep Camille out?" Dak smiled and gave WayneWayne the finger. "I'm just saying we all know Camille is crazy, you shouldn't put something like this past her."

Camille made a sound of surprise, glared, then stepped forward and punched WayneWayne on the arm. "And here I thought that you were my best friend!" She stuck her nose in the air. "I see that I was wrong."

WayneWayne shrugged. "Bros before-"He stopped when both Camille and Stephanie both glared at him. His voice trailed off, knowing that he would have screwed himself if he continued with that statement. He knew from experience, unfortunately, that nothing was worse than accidentally calling a girl a hoe.

"Dude, seriously, just stop there," Dak said. "As much as I'm enjoying you make a complete and utter dick of yourself, we did come here for a good reason." The smile fell from his face and he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. "Have you heard about this?" He handed WayneWayne the paper. "Something about an announcement that the Jacksons are making?"

WayneWayne grabbed the sheet of paper and looked it over himself. The headline jumped out at him:

**DarkElements Press Conference: Big Announcement to be made. Will be Live Updating. **_Hit powerhouse rock band, the DarkElements, consisting of the five dynamic siblings Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney Jackson will be holding a press conference tonight to reveal some big news. Whether it's about their next album or a new project they could be working on, no one knows. No worries though, I'll be sure to be live updating as the news rolls in. So keep your peepers on this page for all of the up to date news. What do you lot think it's going to be about? Their next album? A new project? Maybe they're acting in a new movie? Rumor has it they've been offered parts in an upcoming blockbuster. The reviews should be coming in for their highly anticipated album Black and White. Make sure you pick up your copy of the deluxe album while you wait for the news. Keep an eye out here, our ScuttleButter, and our MyFace page. _

Scanning the page he noted it being from a blog site, checking the date and time stamp, it was from an Australian site. No wonder no one had heard anything about it, the time difference between the two countries made it difficult for everything to be put out on time. WayneWayne turned and sat down at his desk, putting up his ScuttleButter. His eyes moving to the right side of the page, where topics trended, he saw many topics pertaining to the DarkElements resting in numerous places on the list.

"I guess we're the only ones that didn't know about it," he said finally. "Because it's all over ScuttleButter." He turned back his friends. "Do you guys know what it's about?"

"Yeah," Camille said slowly. She took a deep breath. "I got it out of Jo…she said that, tonight, or I guess it'll be tomorrow for us, they're going to be announcing their abuse."

WayneWayne blinked as he looked at the three of them. Camille and Dak were his best friends, and while the three of them didn't hang out together as a group, thanks to a certain boy bander, he was close friends with both of them. Between the two, he wondered how he hadn't heard about what was going on. Stephanie, he wasn't surprised, the two wouldn't even say that they were friends as opposed to being acquaintances; he didn't have anything bad to say about her, she didn't have anything bad to say about him, but he didn't spend a lot of time with her.

"How come I'm the last one hearing about this?" He rubbed his forehead, still trying to figure out what to think about the whole situation.

"Jo just told me a couple of hours ago," Camille admitted. "I didn't believe her until I started looking on line."

"I didn't know until she called and asked if I knew," Dak added. He licked his lips, turning a meaningful look back over to WayneWayne. "I've been talking to Rhu-"

"Surprise, surprise," WayneWayne said with a smile. So far that summer, he was surprised he hadn't bashed his head into a wall between the conversations that he and Dak had about Rhuben. Sure, it showed that his friend really did care about her and liked her and she was his friend, but he could only stand it for so long. Between conversations with him and with Camille, he was surprised he even understood what was going on in their crazy (and in his opinion stupid) love square or whatever shape actively described it.

Dak smiled back. "But she hasn't said anything about it either."

"Did you expect them to?" Stephanie finally spoke up. "Knowing them the way we do?"

She had mostly been quiet since the three had arrived at his house. WayneWayne didn't know her very well but he couldn't help but notice that she was more on the quiet side compared to Jo and Camille. It was probably due to her dating Carlos, who had enough energy for the two of them. He had only seen her really come alive when she was working on her films in the small amount of time that he had actually spent around her. (The Big Time Rush guys were really good at making him feel unwanted, no matter how hard Camille and the Jacksons tried to get them to change their minds).

"I don't think they told Big Time Rush from what I've gathered with phone calls with Carlos," Stephanie said. "And they haven't told us for the same reason. They don't want us to drop everything that we're doing and worry about them. If we just support them with their decision then they know that we have their back that way."

"She's got a point," WayneWayne agreed.

He wouldn't say that he was particularly _close_ with the Jacksons, not like Big Time Rush was. Yes, they were his friends, but they were more of Dak's friend and Big Time Rush's best friends. They spent a lot of their time with Big Time Rush because of their jobs when they were contracted under Rocque Records as well as the fact that they were the ones that helped them get rid of Robert, their foster father at the time. However, as the Jacksons cared about all of their friends, they managed their time to hang out with everyone, though they did hang out with Big Time Rush a bit more. Knowing them like he did, everyone knew that they would rather them find out at the last minute than to be fussed over.

_Which is ironic, considering they fuss over everyone else, _WayneWayne thought. _But I guess that proves that they really do care more about others than themselves._

"So what d'you think's gonna happen?" Camille's voice was now soft. WayneWayne looked at her before motioning for everyone to sit down. Stephanie perched on the edge of his bed, Dak grabbed an extra chair that was by his dresser, turning around to sit down in it, and Camille perched on the edge of his desk. "I mean, their album just came out, now they're going to announce everything that's gonna happen with them the past few years. It could affect their ARIA nomination as well."

"They wouldn't have thought of doing it if they thought they'd get a lot of backlash over it," Dak reminded her. "Especially since they kept the secret for so long."

WayneWayne let out a grunt. He knew that Dak wasn't thinking about the backlash of the announcement. Judging by the pained expression on the teen icon's face, he would guess that he was wondering how he could have gone so long to not know what was going on. _He shouldn't blame himself. They were good at hiding it. Plus, until they made the move to work on remastering their albums, he was only around them for one to two weeks at a time here and there. _WayneWayne rubbed his hands over his face.

"The only thing that we can do now is wait for the announcement to be made," He said as soothingly as possible. "And hope that things don't get too crazy."

* * *

"Noah?"

Noah dropped his arms to his sides, careful not to drop his copy of _Catcher in the Rye _on his face. Turning his head, he watched as Sydney walked into the room, a blanket wrapped around him, only showing his face. Noah looked at his watch. "What're you still doing awake, Little Man?"

"I couldn't sleep," Sydney replied.

Noah turned himself onto his side. "I'm aware of that, Syd," he said kindly. "I meant, _why_ couldn't you sleep?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sydney's big blue eyes widened earnestly. He watched as Noah let out a breath, blowing his bangs out of his face. What other reason could there be that was keeping him up? He glanced at his watch, suddenly noticing how late it was. Looks like no one was going to sleep that night. "Can I sleep here?"

Noah ran a hand over his face, closing one eye. "Where's Ronan?"

"In his office." Sydney shuffled closer to the bunk bed, tilting his head back to look at his older brother. "He's been in there since dinner, yeah? His phone has been ringing off the hook. He's as nervous about tomorrow as we are." He climbed into Patrick's bed, spreading out his blankets. "I heard him yelling at someone on the phone, saying something about being a fucking idiot. And you know that means that he was pissed since Ronan barely curses."

"Yeah…" Noah picked at a loose thread on his blanket. Placing his book aside, he swung his legs to the side and grabbed onto the edge of his ladder. Sliding to the ground, he slipped out of the room and headed downstairs, looking for his sisters. Passing through the den, he spotted Patrick and Jo sitting on the couch, watching TV. His eyebrow rose when he saw that her hand was resting on his arm.

Noah let out a sigh. How could anyone not notice Patrick's crush on Jo? Not that it made a difference. He had seen his brother come out of his shell more and more, going back to the way that he reminded his twin brother. He had always been one to attract girls with just a smile, so much so he hardly batted an eye whenever he was compliment on his good looks. Noah knew the truth though he was cautious about anything that referred to the matters of the heart, especially having watched their sisters get hurt so many times. As much as Noah wanted to be able to believe that Patrick and Jo would work out, he didn't want to see his brother get hurt any more than the rest of his siblings.

He had such a strong bond with Patrick that he didn't have to speak or even look at him and knew what he was thinking and feeling. However, at this moment he wasn't feeling anxious for having a pretty girl sitting next to him.

"Have you seen Riles and Rhubes?" He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the answer.

"Last I saw, they were outside in the hammock," Patrick replied. He scratched the back of his neck. "I think they've been there since dinner. Just about, yeah." Noah stared at him and he handed Jo the remote before standing up and walking over to his brother. "Everything ok?" He lowered his voice so that Jo couldn't hear them.

Was everything ok? They were about to announce their biggest secret to the world that they had managed to keep for so long. The only difference being that they didn't have Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie there to support them and that was due to their own choice. They had the opportunity to tell them what was going on and why they were going back to Australia instead of going on tour with them, the _real _reason why. But they choked at the last minute. Other than that, yeah, everything was peachy.

"I just think that we should talk about this some more," Noah said. He flicked his head, flipping his hair out of his face. Patrick made the same movement at the same time. He smiled. "C'mon." His arms still over his chest, he led Patrick through the kitchen and out the sliding glass door. Met with a balmy breeze of the Australian sea side, the two walked down the deck steps and over to the hammock where their sisters were sitting, gently rocking back and forth with the breeze.

Riley was the first to notice them coming. "Hey," she called softly. "Couldn't sleep either?" She and Rhuben climbed off of the hammock and moved over to the wooden picnic table that was sitting nearby. From where he was sitting, Noah could clearly see the beach over the top of their fenced in back yard. It was a luxury that he treasured about Australia, living so close to the beach. The serene atmosphere accompanied by the striking moonlight calmed him a little.

He wiped his sweaty, shaky hands on his pants legs.

"No, not really." Noah clasped his hands together. "I don't think anyone can. Syd said he heard Ronan on the phone cussing people out."

"Ooh." Riley, Rhuben, and Patrick all winced.

"Yeah."

The four siblings were quiet for a while. That was how Noah preferred it sometimes, everything being quiet. He loved being in a big family, he loved always having someone around to talk to, to hang out with, to laugh with. He was an introverted person and needed time to recharge and the moments like that were his favorites. It was a time for him to get his strength back and it was a good bonding moment for all of them as well. Besides, he liked to be where he was in the family, he didn't have a lot of attention on him, but just enough so that he wasn't ignored and they all gave him an obvious sense of respect.

Rhuben, who was sitting beside him, suddenly sat up, sniffing. Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she gazed at Patrick. "Pat, why do you smell like perfume?"

"I was watching TV with Jo," he replied. Rhuben made an 'hmm' sound, leaning back. "What?" Patrick gave a patient sigh, resting his chin in his hands. His elbows on his knees, which were bouncing, caused his face to jiggle up and down as he did so.

"Nothing." Rhuben shrugged. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt, Rhu," Patrick said slowly.

"Probably not, I'm just making sure you know that you're getting into," Rhuben continued. She shrugged again. "I mean, what with the news going out tomorrow and everything. Plus she's leaving soon so…" she shook her head. "I mean-"

"I know what you mean," Patrick interrupted. Noah expected a sarcastic remark of his calling her, 'jerk face' and was mildly surprised when he said, "Thanks, Sis," instead.

"You're welcome, Bro," Rhuben replied.

Noah gave a gentle smile, watching the two. Lacing his fingers together, he rested his elbows on the table, letting out a deep breath. A million thoughts were running through his mind, all of the having to do with their announcement. At that moment, he could care less if they got nothing but bad reviews on _Black and White_ it was the press conference that he had nightmares about.

"Where's Syd?" Riley looked around the backyard. "I figured he'd be out here."

"I made him go to sleep," Noah replied. He flicked his hair out of his face again. "We can just fill him in later. I didn't want him to worry." Riley snorted. "Yeah, I know."

"So let's think about this realistically," Riley said, taking charge.

Noah was glad about that; he knew that he would never be able to do what she did. It wasn't his style; he preferred to give his opinion on things, knowing it would be taken into account when a decision would be made. Yes, there were times that he didn't necessarily agree with her, but he knew she was doing what she thought was best. It was how their system worked anyway; since they were kids. If Julius was around, they answered to him, if he wasn't and Riley was, they answered to her, if they two of them weren't and Rhuben was there, they answered to her.

Each of them took on the role of responsibility when the time came. There was only one time that it fell on Patrick, and he thought that his brother did well, but Patrick, in secret, told Noah that he hoped he didn't have to do it again anytime soon. Noah agreed.

"If we don't go along with this…then we'd have to announce that we're taking a year off," She said. "But we'd need to find another reason why." She rolled her eyes. "I don't think saying that we want to make our album perfect would work, especially with how impatient some fans can get."

"But think of it this way, we go along with the announcement, what's the worst that could happen there?" Rhuben paused for a moment. "People would say that we're bad role models and that we can't practice what we preach in some of our songs."

Riley nodded. "And all of the media attention that would exacerbate things further. I mean, we're due to get our turn in the spotlight because of the ARIA nom, but now we have to think about that as well."

"Think of the positives then." Patrick shifted the conversation. "We'd bring awareness to it and help a lot of other people who are going through the same thing." He paused. "I think that may be the only positive."

"Not having to live in fear anymore," Noah spoke up. "Not having to act like something is going to jump out at us all the time. We can officially say that we're Ronan's kids and that he adopted us. We can finally start…being able to truly heal."

Riley pointed at him. "Noah's Ark has a point."

"I always have a point, Born to be Riled," Noah replied with an upward twitch of his eyebrows. He laughed along with his siblings. "I'm not quiet just to bludge around." He shared a smile with his eldest sister before turning serious once more. "Be that as it may, it doesn't matter if we have reservations for this now, we have to go through with it or we won't be able to live with ourselves." He paused. "Besides, there's one other thing that we haven't thought of that's a plus."

"What's that?" Patrick looked skeptical.

"We can take a chance to reinvent ourselves," Noah said.

The comment was met with silence, but that was fine with him. Noah had made his point and that was all he needed to do. They continued to sit outside, watching as the waves curled and folded on shore, sending a fine, damp spray in the air. Once he got tired, he bid goodnight to his siblings, giving Riley and Rhuben a kiss on the head and Patrick a hug, they all knew what it was for, before heading inside. Brushing his teeth, he stared at his reflection.

_Tomorrow, your life is going to change. It's either going to change for the better or for the worse. No matter what, we're all going to make it through it together. Like we always have._

Noah returned to his room to find Sydney sleeping soundly, curled up in Patrick's bed. Noah climbed back into his bunk and fell into a soundless sleep, empty of dreams. When he woke up early the next morning, he was aware of the sound of plates clanging about. Looking at his watch, he let out a slight groan, realizing that he had slept in. As he was climbing out of bed and getting dressed, Ronan opened the door.

"Hey Mouse, how you feeling?"

Noah glanced at him, pulling his shirt over his head. "Have you been asking everyone that?"

Ronan grinned, knowing that he was caught. "Yeah. No matter how much you guys are trying to hide it, I know that you're all freaking out. I mean, I just caught Sydney dumping sugar on his breakfast."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "And that's different because?"

"You normally don't put sugar on your eggs."

"Oh."

Noah frowned as he went through the movements of tying a tie around his neck on autopilot. His doubts came crashing back to him at that moment. Ronan's presence wasn't making it that much easier. He looked exhausted, probably having spent the whole night fielding phone calls and getting as many reporters to the press conference as possible so there would be no mistaking the news that was going to be told.

"No?"

Noah turned his head at the different voice that sounded beside him. Rhuben was standing next to him, watching him finish getting dressed. He hadn't noticed that Ronan had left the room. "Hey." He smiled at her. "What's up?" Wordlessly, Rhuben reached out and grabbed onto Noah's hand, he suddenly realized how sweaty and cold it was compared to hers.

"I'm proud of you," she said.

Noah blinked in surprise, and then his eyebrows lowered. "About what? I haven't done anything…"

Rhuben nodded. "You have," she insisted. "You don't talk a lot…you're always so quiet, but you're observing. You can feel and tell everything about the rest of us and know what needs to be said to get a point across or to help us out and you've done that." She smiled gently at him. "I know that Riles and I…sometimes we don't give you a lot of credit, but you really do help us calm down and stuff."

Noah shrugged modestly. "I try. Don't worry about it, Rhu, I'd do it anyway."

"I know." Rhuben reached out and playfully grabbed onto his cheeks, making him laugh and squirm to get out of the way. "But it still helps." She moved her hands to his waist, giving him a hug. Noah hugged her back in reply, resting her chin on her head. "Hey!" She backed up a step. "When'd you get taller than me?"

"It had to happen sometime," Noah said. He gave a half smile. "Did you want me to stay a shrimp for the rest of my life? I'm sure that my voice changing so I didn't sound like a girl anymore bothered you too."

"No, that was fine." Rhuben waved a hand. "That way you could stop being mistaken for me on the phone."

Noah gave her the finger.

"I love you, No-No," Rhuben said. She laughed as Noah grimaced, blushing. She moved forward and gave him another hug. This time, the hug felt different, Noah could feel exactly what she was thinking. She was doing her best to hide her anxiety, but it was like Ronan said, it was too easy to tell. They were trying to be brave for each other though they could see through each other like windows.

They were windows to their emotions, windows that were waiting to finally be opened after being painted shut with put downs and acts of violence.

"Love you too, Rhuny," he replied. The nickname felt strange on his tongue. He hadn't called her that in years, not since he stopped calling her Rhu-Rhu and Riley, Ri-Ri. In that moment, still, it felt right.

Noah and Rhuben left the room and went down to the kitchen, finding Julius, Brittany, and, to their surprise, their grandfather was sitting at the table as well. "Daddy Teak!"

"I was looking for my little Bellarina," Teak Jackson said, getting to his feet in a shaky motion. He walked over to Rhuben and enveloped her in a hug that only grandfather's could give; tight, but not tight enough. "When I saw my Landybug, I knew you weren't too far."

Teak Jackson, at sixty-five years old looked like an older version of his son Reed, with dark brown hair (which he was obviously dying to keep the gray from showing) and kind blue eyes was the sort of grandfather that everyone seemed to have. The one that always had a smile on his face, was waiting to tell a joke, and wanted to hear everything about their grandchildren's day.

"Daddy Teak, what are you doing here?" Noah gave his grandfather a hug as well.

"You thought that I wouldn't be there to support my grandchildren with one of the biggest moments in their lives?" Teak reached out and tweaked Noah on the nose, causing him to silently smile. Teak then frowned. "I tried hard to get you kids into my custody, it hurt more than you think when I was told that I was too old to take care of all of you when I brought Julius in. It made me sick to my stomach when I found out what that drongo was doing to you all."

He took a step back, looking Noah up and down. "Ark Angel, when'd you get so big?"

"I was just having that conversation with him myself," Rhuben said, taking her seat at the table.

Noah sat down at the table with his family and friend and waited for Ronan and Riley to finish breakfast and serve it to everyone. He barely remembered what it tasted like; his whole day went by in a blur. They had finished breakfast, went and did the interview with Sunrise to promote _Black and White_, did a quick appearance at the local mall's music store, and then headed over to the Sydney Opera House, where they were going to be doing their press conference. It was fitting; in a way, it was where their music career all started. When they were young, they had parts in the musicals Annie and Les Miserables, as their parents were working on the production, and everything spiraled from there.

Sitting backstage with his brothers, sisters, grandfather, and friends, he felt numb. This was it, the time had finally come and he didn't know how to feel. Sydney followed Ronan or Julius wherever they went wanting to be near someone, Patrick was continuously running his tongue over his bottom lip, Rhuben was running absentmindedly running a hand through her hair, and Riley was rubbing her arm. No point in denying it now, things were about to get crazy.

"Ok!" Ronan clapped his hands together, causing the Jacksons to jump. His eyes moved over each of them. "It's time to get going."

Noah got to his feet, letting out a huge breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding.

"Don't worry guys," Jo said, trying to reassure them. "Everything's going to go great." She gave each Jackson a hug. "We all just want things to get better for you as much as you want it to. You're doing a good thing."

"Thanks Jo-Jo," Riley said.

_You're doing a lot to help us, _Noah thought, smiling at her. _You don't even know how much you just being here is helping. Thank you._

"Heads and hands?" Patrick looked at Riley and Rhuben. They hesitated for a moment before nodding in reply. Noah gathered with his siblings, each of them grabbing each other's hand and bowing their heads in a circle so that they touched. It was something they did before every concert, part of their ritual, a rush of anxiety flew out of his body.

They could do this.

"Ok." Patrick licked his lips. "We're doing this for us, yeah? First and foremost. But not only for us, but for our fans and everyone that's going through the same thing. For everyone that has listened to our songs and found a way to relate to them. For everyone that has to go through the same sort of pain and ridicule and emotional hurt that we went through. We're doing this for them."

"More importantly, we're doing it for Mum and Dad." Noah surprised himself by saying. "They wouldn't allow anything like this to happen if they were still around. They're always with us and we're always with them. We want to make them proud."

"We want to make everyone proud," Patrick agreed. He let go of Riley's and Noah's hands, letting out a deep breath. The five turned to Ronan. He gave a shaky smile. "Let's go."

Noah fell in step behind Patrick, so that they were in their usual order, their birth order and their comfort zone, all squeezed between each other, Sydney at the back being protected by everyone, Riley at the front to lead them. He suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of happiness, not knowing what he would do without each and every one of them.

They walked out of the back room and towards the stage where the panel was being held. As soon as they rounded the corner and moved to take their seats, cameras clicked and flashed around them. Noah raised a hand, trying to shield his face. He couldn't see anything in front of him. He felt lightheaded, everything swirled around him, and a dull humming sound reached his ears. Noah moved his hands to his stomach; he shuddered, disturbed nerves jerking somewhere in his stomach. He gagged, a choked whimper escaping his lips.

All of a sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Patrick.

"You can do this, Buddy," he whispered in his ear.

Noah nodded back, sitting down. He could do this. _I can do this. We can do this. _Noah looked around the crowd as the camera flashes started to subside. He glanced over the sea of faces; strangers all waiting, ready to hang on to their every word. His eyes landed on Julius, Brittany, Jo, and Teak, who were sitting behind the wall of cameras. Julius held up his hand, his thumb and pinkie finger sticking out, and shook it back and forth.

Noah nodded.

"Thank you all for coming today!" Ronan's opening statement instantly silenced the crowd. "Especially on such short notice. Everyone's aware that these kids have an announcement to make. I ask that you keep all questions for the end and please don't crowd them. All of your questions will be answered." Noah saw him hesitate and look over his shoulder. In that moment, he saw Ronan as his father, instead of his music producer, when he expected it to be the other way around. He could see the fear in the older man's eyes, the man he grew to be able to call his friends and his father.

He was just as scared as they were.

And that realization sent a wave of serenity through Noah's body.

Ronan turned back to the audience. "So, I'll just turn you over to them and we can get started." Ronan turned and walked off stage, hovering by the stairs in case he needed to rush on.

Noah watched as Riley took a deep breath and sat up straight, pulling a microphone closer to her. As she leaned forward, he noticed the slight quiver of her lower lip before running a hand through her hair, allowing her dark tresses to envelop her face. _She always did like to hide behind her hair, _Noah thought.

"As a lot of you know, there's been a lot of speculation…since coming back from vacation with our friends, Big Time Rush," she started. "About what we had to say. We thought that it would be only fair to everyone and our friends and our fans that we set the record straight now." She took a deep breath through her nose. "We have decided to take a yearlong break off of making new music."

"The stress and pressure of creating a better album than the one before, year after year has started to affect us," Rhuben spoke up. "It's made things harder for us, though we've fallen into a routine. With that routine, doing music, which we used to love, has become a chore. We want to be able to find our passion for music again, and we fell that the only way it can really happen is if we take a step back."

Patrick spoke up. "However, that's not the only reason why we need the break. There's something that we've been keeping from our fans and we figure it's the perfect time to reveal to everyone all at once." He looked at Riley.

"We came here today to announce that over the past eight years…since we have gone through the loss of our parents and were put in the foster care system, we have been abused," Riley said. Noah closed his eyes as the words came out of her mouth, hearing a low murmuring from the audience. Camera bulbs flashed like lightning. "Physically and mentally," she clarified. "That's what the basis of most of our music consisted of, telling everyone what was going on, hoping someone would catch on. But it proves that "It doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter your education, it doesn't matter how wealthy you are…" she paused. "Everyone is subject to child abuse. Just like we were."

Questions came at them like bullets after that.

Noah barely heard them.

It was out now.

Finally.

* * *

James was numb. He stared at the computer screen in front of him, refreshing it every few seconds to determine whether or not it was real. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. It wasn't changing, it was real, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

"I can't believe they said it," Carlos murmured from his side. He, Kendall, and Logan were all crowded around James, staring at his computer screen. No matter where they went, it was everywhere, even on American sites. _Australian Rock Band Announces: 'Yes, I suffered from child abuse'. _Going through it, watching them react to everyone around them when they met, having it all revealed to him…that wasn't as much of a shock as this was. He felt numb and he didn't know why.

He wasn't upset, he was glad. Glad that they were finally able to get to the point where they were helping themselves. Excited even. But then there was another part of him, a part that was worried about them. He was angry. Why hadn't they told them that's what they went home for? He understood a break, but to go do that, announce it, and not tell them? What did that say about their friendship?

Kendall voiced his thoughts. "Why didn't they tell us?"

"Because they didn't want us to worry," Logan said. He closed his eyes, running his hands over his face. "I should have seen this coming."

"How would you know?" Carlos looked at Logan curiously turning form James's shoulder. James reached out and closed his laptop, pressing firmly down on the lid. He set the computer aside on the couch beside him. From where they were, he could hear the audience screaming and cheering to the final song of their opening act. They were going to go on stage soon.

_Who can go on stage at a time like this? _James ran his hands through his hair, for the first time not caring that he messed up his perfect locks. That wasn't nearly as important. He quickly pulled out his phone and created a text:

_Heard about what you guys did. I just want to say that I'm so immensely proud of you guys. You're some of the best friends that I've ever had and I don't know what my life would be like if me or the other guys had never met you. You helped me get through my original fears of being in the music industry and working with Gustavo. You've increased my confidence, and taught me how to fight for what I believe in. I know that things are going to be really hard and really scary for you guys now, but know that we all have your backs here and we're going to be there for you guys for whatever you need. I know you made the right decision for yourselves and I support it completely. Keep rocking guys; we'll see you when we get back. Talk to you soon,_

_James._

He turned back in, watching as Logan paced. "I mean, I knew what was happening the whole time that it was going on. I knew and kept the secret that they were being hurt. We waited too long to say something, now everything is going to be shadowed by this scandal, instead of them being known for their music and-"

"Logan!" Kendall grabbed onto Logan's shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. He stared hard into Logan's eyes. James could see the emotion in his face. He felt just as badly as Logan did, having figured things out shortly after Logan did. James knew the real reason why he was trying hard not to show his disappointment in himself, all of them did. But like everything, it spurned him to be an even better person. "Don't blame yourself; you didn't know that any of that was going on. It's like they said they had gone the longest before someone found out, before we found out. People had found out before and never said anything. We did, that helped them. But we didn't save them, they saved themselves." He shook Logan. "They _needed_ to do this, in their own way."

Kendall waited for Logan to acknowledge that he heard him before letting go. Logan looked at his feet, biting his lower lip. Carlos, who was as empathetic as ever, frowned for a moment, before brightening. "I have an idea!" James, Logan, and Kendall all turned to him expectantly. "Why don't we dedicate the show to them? We can't be there in person to support them, but we can be there in spirit!"

Kendall smiled. "That's a good idea, Carlos. I like that."

"Me too," James agreed. "Sounds rad." He and Kendall turned to Logan.

Logan slowly smiled. "I like that, too."

Carlos beamed.

The guys ran through their vocals and harmonies and went through their pre-show ritual, their minds on their friends. When they got the go ahead to head out on stage, they ran out and started the concert, putting their all into the first few songs, feeding off the excitement and fever that their fans gave them. Finally, it got to a point of the show, right after introducing each other, that they were able to address the crowd.

"Hey guys." James took the lead, walking closer to the front of the stage. "How are you doing tonight?" He waited for the burst of applause. "Sounds great. So,"-he licked his lips, wiping sweat off of his forehead-"how many of you guys have heard the band the DarkElements?" Another burst of applause. He held the microphone away from his mouth, allowing Carlos to take over.

"How many people saw them on tour with us last year?" Carlos looked around, as if trying to count how many people were raising their hands, before continuing. "How many people have ordered their new album?" He smiled at the response. "Great, they'd like that."

"You see, our friends, the DarkElements, they've gone through a lot these past couple of years," Logan said. "But through all of their problems, they've helped us and we probably wouldn't be where we are right now. Right here you guys, if it weren't for them."

Kendall took over. "We just got the news…that they finally did what we wanted them to do for a long time…they announced their biggest secret to the world. They put themselves out there to finally have a better life. They helped us and we're going to help them, we're going to be there for them the way they've been there for us."

"So we'd like to dedicate tonight's show to them," James continued. "To show them that we support them one hundred percent and that we'll always be there for them like they have been for us. Please show them your support as you've shown to us."

Big Time Rush went through their concert, putting all of their emotion into their songs as they could, even bringing two stools up on stage and leaving them empty, for Riley and Rhuben, dedicating the song _Worldwide_ to them.

They gave it everything they got, knowing that their friends, though thousands of miles away, could hear them.

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**A/N: **More BTR in the next chapter. This chapter and the chapter titled 'Wonderful' starts the plot idea I had for a PatrickxJo fic I was gonna do, but fits better in this story.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

I hope you guys liked it

Cheers,

-Riles


	14. Home

**.:Chapter 14:.**

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_"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." ~Lin Yutang_

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The crescendo of screams that continued to rise and fall as the backup band and the crew started to tear down the stage. It was bittersweet, knowing that everything was over at that exact moment. The sleepless nights, the adrenaline, the excitement coursing through their bodies. It was all being taken apart and being shipped back to California. It was official, the last stop in Canada was done, the guys were scheduled to get on the bus in the next few minutes…the tour was over. It was a tour to last a lifetime. There were a few hiccups at the beginning, the tour production had screwed them over a few times, there was the incident that had Big Time Rush being chased all over London, as well as a incident about a hotel being haunted, but the rest of the tour had gone off without a hitch. Night after night the boys played to large crowds, feeding off the energy of their fans as well as keeping in touch with their friends as they went.

After they had announced their abuse, Big Time Rush had gone to Gustavo and Kelly and begged them to be able to call them more often, to keep in touch. Gustavo and Kelly then turned around and talked to Ronan and Mrs. Knight about it. Part of the reason that Ronan had taken them to Australia was so that they could spend some time away from Kendal, Logan, Carlos, and James. The guys were confused when they had heard that, but then understood that it was because Ronan wanted his kids to be able to focus on themselves instead of on their music and worrying about what was going on with the boys for a while. When Gustavo, Kelly, and Mrs. Knight brought it up to him, he very quickly turned around and took down the rule of them not being able to call each other due to the long distance bill that would come up. (It also kept them from constantly checking their phones and sit on their computers all days while waiting for a message from the boys).

The boys kept in touch with the DarkElements as many times as they could a day between phone calls, texts, skype calls, and e-mails, though with their schedule-and a unfortunately incident when Riley had been woken up early in the morning due to lack of knowledge about the time difference-they were mostly sticking through e-mails. Being able to keep in touch more noticeably lifted the guys' spirits and while there were still a few incidents here and there, they had a good time for the duration of the rest of the tour.

Kelly yawned as she held open a back door for Gustavo to pass through. She hitched her purse up her shoulder, pulling her jacket together around her body and the two started to make their way across the otherwise empty parking lot. Lamps illuminated the way for them as they went. A chill blew through the air, but it was hardly felt as the two co-workers were waiting for the adrenaline to run out of their bodies, exhausting them enough so that they could sleep all the way back to LA, The PalmWoods, and their own homes.

_God knows that something is going to keep us up, K_elly thought. She stretched her arms over her head. _Too bad the tour is over. _It was one of the best summers that she had had in a while, definitely the most eventful. With the Big Time Rush boys around, it was hard for anything to be uneventful. Even when she was trying her hardest not to pull her hair out and scream at them to stop doing whatever stupid thing it was that they were doing. "I don't think we could have had an even better last show," Kelly said as she to Gustavo. She looked over at him as the two neared the bus that was waiting for them, its motor running. She winced at the sudden increase of screaming right next to her ear. Reaching her hands up, she slapped them down over her ears, her eyes squeezing shut all in the same moment.

Peeking an eye open, Kelly scanned the faces of the teenage girls that were standing around her, holding onto signs and wiggling them. Some fans were screaming, others were crying, and she was sure that some of them were about to pass out. She had seen things get pretty ugly at concerts before; even a few of the summer tour shows had to get girls carted out on stretchers an sent to the hospitals. She had never been even more glad of not being a teenage girl anymore.

The throngs of fans buffeted the partners on all sides as they waited to catch a glimpse of Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James. The screams died down in grumbled and murmurs when they saw that it was only Kelly and Gustavo. She was thankful for that; all night long she had to deal with crazy fans and the stress of the last night of the All Over the World tour. What she needed right now was peace and quiet. It wasn't bound to last long as the guys were always screaming and yelling about something, but she just needed those few moments even if it couldn't be consecutive.

Kelly yawned again before starting to smooth down her hair. "Besides being beaten by fans, getting hit by a door, and having to hold up a trampoline so the boys wouldn't fall and hurt themselves, I mean." Gustavo glanced over at Kelly and started to snicker at her night once more. He had been through so many crashes and aches and pains from having to deal with the boys, now she knew what he dealt with on a almost daily basis.

"I know!" Gustavo boasted. He stuck out his chest with pride, even going as far as to buff his nails on his chest. Kelly rolled her eyes. "I couldn't have come up with a better tour than this! Now I just have to top myself for next time."

"Well, _next time_, leave me out of everything that needs to go into planning it and just tell me where I need to be backstage," Kelly said. She then gave him a sweet smile, one that instantly put him on edge. If Kelly ever had a sweet smile on her face, when it wasn't a completely genuine one, there was something wrong. "Or just give me a VIP pass and allow me to sit and _watch_ so I don't have to get stuck with your guys' crazy antics." She pulled her PalmPilot out of her purse and started to leaf through it.

"If I did that, I'm sure that the dogs would find a way to ruin everything within five minutes," Gustavo dead-panned. He shook his head, looking over his shoulder at the fans again. "It makes me wonder how they even have fans in the first place. The idiots…"

"Oh come on." Kelly lifted her gaze from her PalmPilot. "You can't tell me that you didn't have someone that you admired when you were a kid."

"No way!" Gustavo crossed his arms over his chest. "I was too busy becoming one of the biggest and _best_ music producers in the business! Better than Ronan, even."

Kelly rolled her eyes again. If she didn't know that the guys, deep, deep, deep, down were friends, Kelly would have thought that the two music producers really did hate each other. They were constantly making fun of each other, trying to one-up each other, and found a way to annoy each other just by walking into the room. However, if they weren't such good friends, then they wouldn't try to help each other get better with their band and their work all together.

Gustavo stuck his nose in the air and he and Kelly climbed onto the bus. He looked down at the floor, raising an eyebrow behind his dark sunglasses when he saw the members of Big Time Rush lying on the floor, breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping down their faces, their cheeks were flushed, and he was sure that he even saw a few tears in some of their eyes. After waiting a moment for them to acknowledge his presence, he finally spoke up. "What happened to you?" He asked. "You look dead."

"Are we?" Carlos let out a heavy sigh. His eyes were transfixed to the ceiling, out of focus. He hadn't looked that dazed since he took a crash landing in the boards in a brutal hockey game. Not even his helmet protect him from that check from behind. "'Cause I can't feel my arms." He rubbed his right arm to prove his point. He then frowned and started to poke it repeatedly. After a few seconds, his eyes widened in panic. "Seriously, I can't feel myself poking my arm."

"You can't feel it because that's _my _arm!" Logan snapped. He pulled his arm out of Carlos's grasp and let out a groan, curling up into a ball as his body seized with pain. When the pain subsided, a relieved sigh escaped his lips and he stretched his body out once more. This has been such a long, tour. It was fun, but…everything hurts."

"It was worth it though," Kendall said. He and James were the only ones that were smiling despite the pain. "We just finished up a great tour, we beat the quick-change record, we have our fans and we're living our dream." He tried to sit up, but then cried out in pain and lied back down. "The only thing I _can't_ do that I _want _to do is stand up without hurting."

"According to my calculations we're going to get used to the pain," Logan whipped out a pretend calculator and started to punch numbers into the air. "When we die."

"We're going to die?" Carlos' eyes grew wide.

"No, Carlos, we're not going to die." James replied and blindly patted what he thought was Carlos' head, but was in fact slapping Kendall's face.

"Ow!" Kendall was smacked in the eye. It immediately started to water. He scrunched up his nose and mouth into a expression of distaste and pushed James's hand away from him. He shuffled a few inches to the side, casting James suspicious glances as he went.

Gustavo sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. Their antics always got on his nerves and tonight was no different. He could admit that he was proud of the guys, though he wouldn't say it to their faces. They had worked hard for the past two years and did a good job with everything that was thrown their way. At the beginning, he didn't believe that the four hockey players from Minnesota could do anything at all. He was mildly surprised when they all got better at singing and their footwork, but it was their hard work and dedication to their job and helping him whenever he was in a jam was what really won him over. Griffin was always on his back at some point or another, so the fact that they were always trying to figure out some sort of plan that let them continue to work as Big Time Rush or just with Gustavo in general was something that he was never going to forget for the rest of his life.

He owed a lot to them, for helping put his name back in the spotlight. No one was sure if there was a future for Gustavo Rocque when his last hit was nine years ago, but Big Time Rush had really put him back on the map and he was thankful for it.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't mess with them a little bit when he felt like it.

"Alright," Gustavo called, clapping his hands together. He rubbed his palms over each other and grinned down at the four boys. "Who's ready to do it again?" Kelly gave him a strange look, he ignored her. "We got the news that a couple more shows have been added to your guys' tour!"

"Yeah, we're going to die." Kendall didn't seem to be bothered by the idea. He rested his hands on his chest and looked at the ceiling as he frowned. "Hm, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to mom and Katie." He paused, his eyes starting to narrow into a squint. "Do you think that I'd be able to create a will by text?"

"I didn't get a chance to win the Nobel Peace Prize." Logan sighed wistfully, shaking his head.

"I didn't get a chance to become a famous actor/singer/dancer/model and write my own memoir to teach little kids how to be as awesome as me," James added, his lower lip trembling. He noticed the silence and then turned his head. Gustavo, Kelly, Kendall, Logan, and Carlos were all staring back at him. "What? It could happen!"

"Relax." Kelly elbowed Gustavo in the side. "Gustavo is only kidding. You boys did a great job tonight. Now you can get plenty of rest while we go back to California." She shot Gustavo a glare before going up to the second floor of the bus. Gustavo stuck his tongue out at her back before following her up.

Kendall forced himself up into a sitting position before grabbing his friends and hauling them to their feet as well. As the bus started up, he kneeled down on the couch and rubbed a hand against the window, removing the condensation. He smiled as the screams from the fans increased when they saw him looking out the window. They raced over to the bus and started to scream and wave, slapping their hands on the sides of the bus. James pushed Kendall out of the way and started to wave and blow kisses to their fans. Kendall, Logan, and Carlos exchanged amused glances, but squeezed onto the couch as well, waving to their fans.

Kendall couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face as the bus started to pull away from the stadium and their fans started to run after it. No matter what happened with the future of Big Time Rush, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Not even for the biggest hockey award that he could get, nothing could top everything that he and his friends had managed to do together. He couldn't see himself doing anything like this with anyone else but Logan, James, and Carlos. They could fight like brothers, get on each other's nerves, and even downright disagree on a lot of things-thought that helped them create the song Oh Yeah-but they were always going to be there for each other and help each other through the hard times.

And even though the tour was over, there was always a new adventure that was going to come their way and they were going to do it together.

Next stop: Los Angeles, California.

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**A/N: **Ok, since I wasn't sure what else to do with BTR while they were on tour (since I wasn't doing BTMovie) and because I already did the points that were the most important to our timeline (BTR and DE going to Hawaii and DE announcing their abuse) as well as people wanting to see more BTR, there was a time jump from the last chapter to when BTR are going home. Everything else that you allw would have wanted to see will be shown in flashbacks as the story goes on. Also, there's still gonna be more of PatxJo as it goes on as well.

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

I hope you guys liked it

Cheers,

-Riles

* * *

**PS **– Fun Fact, when I started writing this story, before deciding to start it out with BTR and DE in Hawaii, this was going to be the first chapter.

**PPS – **Don't forget that some of this story contradicts the last one, but that was only because our timeline hadn't been done for seasons 1 and 2 at that point.


End file.
